


Visiontale

by SansWingdingsGaster



Category: Undertale
Genre: Alternate History, Anatomy, Biology, Blind Reader, Chara-as-narrator, Chemistry, Conspiracies, Dadster, Electrical Engineering, Ethermetry, Ethics, Experimental, Extremism, F/F, F/M, Feels, Foreshadowing, Futurist, Genocide Route, History, Intrigue, Journalism, Law, Linguistics, M/M, Magitry, Memes, Multi, Neutral Route, No Mercy Route, OOC, Original Character Ships, Other, Pacifist Route, Participatory Politics, Philosophy, Physics, Physiology, Politics, Protest Movements, Psychology, Psychophysiology, Quantum Mechanics, Reactionaries, Sarcasm, Self-Insert, Soulology, Speculative fiction, Speeches, Theology, Translationism, True Pacifist Route, Vagueness, copious swearing, political activism, radicals, sociology - Freeform, world-building
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-12-07
Updated: 2018-09-04
Packaged: 2018-09-07 02:30:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 48
Words: 218,231
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8779618
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SansWingdingsGaster/pseuds/SansWingdingsGaster
Summary: A fanfic about a blind Undertale protagonist, written by a real blind person.Copious swearing warning.Frequent pop cultural references.When in doubt, read the preface of the story and the notes for each chapter, whether they appear at the beginning or the end, as you go along. They're important... especially later on.Also if anyone has read far enough in the story to know why I put the "Soulology," "Psychophysiology," "Magitry," "Ethermetry," and "Translationism" tags, and remembered what they were, congrats.As of 11/28/2017, Visiontale has a TV Tropes and Idioms page! Update it, and link to it on other pages on TV Tropes at your leisure.http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Fanfic/VisiontaleTo everyone who's read that far: here's the first half of the audio drama for chapter 41!https://soundcloud.com/user815390209/visiontale-chapter-41-part-1Here's the second half of the audio drama for chapter 41!https://soundcloud.com/user815390209/visiontale-chapter-41-part-2





	1. Chapter 01

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Time Forgot](https://archiveofourown.org/works/8026132) by [ClockworkFlames](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ClockworkFlames/pseuds/ClockworkFlames). 
  * Inspired by [Inseparable](https://archiveofourown.org/works/8444542) by [UnderAnon](https://archiveofourown.org/users/UnderAnon/pseuds/UnderAnon). 
  * Inspired by [The Scientist](https://archiveofourown.org/works/5301182) by [talkingsoup](https://archiveofourown.org/users/talkingsoup/pseuds/talkingsoup). 
  * Inspired by [It's Time for Judgement](https://archiveofourown.org/works/8650300) by [ibeta](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ibeta/pseuds/ibeta). 
  * Inspired by [Two Worlds](https://archiveofourown.org/works/8500846) by [eney](https://archiveofourown.org/users/eney/pseuds/eney), [Spazzin](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Spazzin/pseuds/Spazzin). 



> I'll be blunt.
> 
> Leave now if any of the text below, between the asterisks 1. is too far out of your comfort zone, or 2. Whether any of the following seems like too much effort to invest in a fanfic. I know this seems like overkill, but they still need to be said. Otherwise, skip the text between the asterisks.
> 
> ******
> 
> Constant vagueness
> 
> Using information besides sight to construct scenes, like positions of characters' voices or haptic feedback
> 
> If you prefer visual language to describe situations
> 
> Figuring out which characters speak via their dialogue and no other context clues
> 
> Extensive exposition derived from real-life technical knowledge
> 
> Fictional exposition, with accompanying jargon, describing fictional fields of study with equal rigor to the exposition based on real-life fields of study
> 
> Reading endnotes to fully understand the story
> 
> The Chara as narrator theory
> 
> ******
> 
> This work was directly inspired by several other fanfics: Time Forgot, by ClockworkFlames, and "The Scientist,", both posted on this site, and Inseparable, posted on Fanfiction.net.
> 
> This AU is... different... to say the least.
> 
> This is partially because I've created a system connecting modern physiology, neuroscience, psychology, and magical traditions to how magic and determination work: gaps in knowledge, external research, and all. Meaning there are aspects that are under-studied or misunderstood, like real science.
> 
> Most of it is because I'm blind. I can only see light, so I can't use it to figure out what objects or locations look like. Therefore, I used descriptions of puzzles/environments on the Undertale Wiki. That, descriptions from Let's Plays, and liberal artistic license.
> 
> My descriptions will reflect both this reality, and the fact that in this timeline, I don't know about Undertale's existence, which is what happened to me in real life. Undertale came out six days before I started my freshman year of college, but I didn't even know about it until October. I have to use Chara's descriptions and my own knowledge of RPGs to figure out what to do. I'm reinterpreting my current Undertale knowledge through this lens.
> 
> My experiences as a blind person also heavily inform the fic. This entails applying the methodoligies I have been taught to navigate places and perform tasks independently to the story. Because these routines inform the fanfic, descriptions of the environment won't stray beyond what is necessary for me at the current time, and I will act according to these routines. The only Daredevil-esque shenanagans you're going to get are only possible because of Chara, and sometimes, not even then. I'm fed up with people representing blind people as being either deadweight or Daredevil. The Undertale community has tried to be inclusive of many types of people. Accurately portraying disabled people falls under that umbrella.
> 
> The Xenoblade spoilers/copious pop culture references warning is because I namedrop characters/events from that game, and many other games/books/TV shows frequently, and not just because I like them. It's because some of these references and spoilers are plot-relevant. The characters also use these references as analogies to help me understand the Underground. Expect almost, if not every, chapter to have spoilers and or references, in one way or another. In this timeline, Chara has access to my memories, so I'm writing the fanfic accordingly. When the entire story is finished, I will go back and edit everything, but even then, don't expect all the jokes to make sense without looking them up.
> 
> I also include cues in the text to play music and notes indicating this timeline's canon voices, which adds to the immersion and replicates my Undertale experience. I've been heavily influenced by the voices I've heard people use, both while playing it and dubbing content. The same goes for the music, in-game and fanmade. Therefore, I will put the URLs to relevant songs or voice acting samples in the chapters and edit them as my preferences change. Voice-acted fanwork has been a valuable resource for me since it's allowed me to enjoy web comics, which are otherwise presented in a format my screen reader can't read. When done well, they make the game seem more alive, for someone who can only experience it via characters' text-scrolling noises, descriptions from the Undertale Wiki, and good fanfiction. I also plan to voice-act certain parts of Visiontale, and I will link to them in the endnotes of the relevant chapters when I've finished them.
> 
> As of April 6th 2017, this AU has a Twitter! My username is VisiontaleSans. I'll post updates there. Beware of spoilers though, so keep as up to date as possible...
> 
> Comment, kudos, enjoy, and stay determined.
> 
> You'll need it...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The thought of you reading how a blind person uses a cane... and how much I swear... fills you with determination.

1

Why can’t class be over already? It’s almost Friday! Like school’s over and I can finally watch YouTube Friday!

I haven’t gotten the homework problems yet today. I probably should take out my earphones so I can hear my professor...

I take them out and put them in my pocket, but even then, I don’t hear my professor lecturing.

Somehow, it takes me several more moments to realize I’m not sitting at a desk.

I’m lying down.

Where am I?

Now, instead of sitting at my desk, I sit up on the grass.

I put my hands on the ground, and I roll a blade between my fingers, only to feel petals on the top.

I’m sitting on some flowers, apparently. Not at my desk in my precalculus class.

How did I get here? How do I get home so I can watch YouTube--I mean how do I get back to class? More importantly, how do I get there without my cane?

After a little more groping around on the ground, I find my cane not too far away. My backpack is also close by. I check to make sure nothing important is missing: my phone, water bottle, wallet, BrailleNote, MP3 player, USB stick. Good. I take a quick sip of water, then check the time on my phone. It says, “12:00 PM.”

But my class started at 1:00 and ends at 2:05…

Well I’m not going to figure out where the fuck I am without walking around a bit…

I stand up, extending my cane out to its full length, arcing it along the ground in front of me to detect obstacles. After only a few steps, the tip of my cane hits a wall. I follow it and find another.

I’m in a room with flowers for a floor…

I follow the second wall and eventually find a groove there, shortly followed by another piece of the wall.

Well, more like the edge of a door, but not the side with the handle.

Basically for most things, I know what they are not, not what they are…

I walk a couple feet farther and find the handle.

Well, at least I know where this door is, so after I orient myself to the rest of this room, I’ll open it, if I don’t find another door.

A couple minutes later, after circumventing the room, I don’t find another door, or any other landmarks, for that matter. I return to the door and open it, taking a couple steps forward.

Listen to this song!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oB_lKI1o754

“Howdy! It’s me, Flowey! Flowey the Flower!”

“What the fuck--?” I start to say.

“You heard me!” He…? Flowey… says, pausing for a moment. “Hmmm. You’re new to the underground, aren’t you? Golly, you must be sooo confused!”

“Yeah… that’s an understatement…”

Is he high? Is he one of those guys who tries to lure kids away to… who knows where? Is he just weird?

“Someone ought to teach you how things work around here!” he continues. “I guess little old me will have to do.”

I laugh a little. “Oh come on you can’t be that old… or little…” I reply.

“Wait…” Flowey contemplates for a moment. “What do you mean ‘You can’t be that little? I’m just a little flower!”

“Well I wouldn’t know that without you telling me,” I start to explain. “I literally can’t see you so I don’t know what you look like.”

“Well that doesn’t matter, doesn’t it?” Flowey says enthusiastically. “I’ll still teach you how things work around here!”

“Wait what do you mean ‘around here’? Where am I?”

“The underground! Didn’t you hear me say that?”

“Yeah… The underground? We’re actually underground?”

{Does he mean the black market underground? On the other hand I don’t’ know how the hell to get out of here… so…}

“Okay. You’ll have to describe everything you’re doing though.”

“Sure!” Flowey asks, “Ready?”

“Yeah…?”

“Here we go!”

My cane flies out of my hand. My feet leave the floor.

“What the--?” I ask again. “How far up am I?”

“Don’t worry! It’s not that far.” Flowey explains. “What does matter is that around you right now, there is a heart. That is your soul, the very culmination of your being. Your soul starts out weak, but it can grow strong if you gain a lot of LV!”

“You mean levels?” I ask.

“No silly! LV means love!”

“And Love is…”

“Having a lot of LV makes you strong, but you only have 1 LV right now. You want some LV, don’t you?”

“Yeah, but how do you know how much LV I have, and if I gain LV, how will I know how much LV I have? Do I have a name tag, but for my… Love, on me?”

Wait…

He knows it on sight.

I should know it too… somehow…

I stop and think for a moment. In my head, I, imagine? No… sense… the number 1. Like imagining what an object feels like, I can sense the number 1 in my mind. It’s like knowing where my body is in space at all times without actually touching it.

“Flowey, do you know me?” I ask.

“No! But that isn’t the point!” Flowey sounds a little hurried. “I’m going to share some LV with you.”

“I can’t earn LV by myself? You can tell me how to earn it, then I can be on--”

“Don’t worry, it will be much easier if I share some LV with you.” Flowey seems even more hurried now. “Down here, LV is shared through little white… friendliness pellets!”

{Wait what? Those sound like a drug… please dear Alvis please no I don’t want to take any drugs yet…}

“Are you ready? Move around! Get as many as you can.”

“How will I find them? I can’t see them…” I trail off awkwardly.

“I’ll bring them to you!”

“Okay.”

I reach out my hands, only to feel pain. “Fuck you can’t be serious…”

“YOU IIIIDIOT! IN THIS WOOOOORLD, IIIIT’S KIIIILL OR BEEEEE KIIIIILLED!”

Flowey’s voice, but, angry. Harsh. Distorted. Screaming as the sound of friendliness pellets fills the air.

“Why would anyone pass up an opportunity like this!?”

The sound of the friendliness pellets all around me… coming closer…

They’re here.

Pain, all around me. I scrunch up, forgetting I’m hovering in midair. Wherever I ended up, I’ll die here… wherever the fuck here is… Alone. Afraid…

“DIE!!!”

Not like this. Dear Alvis, not like this!!!

Evil laughter…

Well maybe a little more than evil…

Then, a sudden flash of heat, and a startled gasp from Flowey. His voice goes back to normal again.

I drop to the ground on my back. I sit up heavily, feeling the pain coarse through me.

Watch the following video until 1:21, or as close as possible, then close it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h3obHXIVk5Q&index=5&t=81s&list=PL7Ic3f2gdYDigqPC--ZEtUh_tfLByVDFi#t=01m02s

“What a terrible creature, torturing such a poor, innocent youth.”

A female voice, coming closer. I sense and hear her kneel in front of me, her voice coming from just above my head. “Ah, do not be afraid, my child. I am Toriel, caretaker of the ruins. I pass through this place every day to see if anyone has fallen down.”

“Jesus fucking hell… ……” I mumble.

I owe her… Fuck I didn’t say that out loud…

“What is Jesus, my child?”

I know there are people who don’t have a religious affiliation, but this takes the cake...

Utter confusion, on her part and mine. “He’s… it’s… nothing. never mind. I’m sorry…”

“If you say so. Come. I will guide you through the catacombs. This way.”

A hand brushes against mine, and I grab it, standing, whincing as the pain racks my body. I lean against her. Her arm brushes against mine as she says softly near my ear, “I will heal you as we walk along. Walk as normal, if you can, my child.

As she helps support me,I feel… hair?

No.

Fur…

There’s fur on her arms, not hair.

She’s… not human… not completely…

I can’t care about that now. As long as she doesn’t imitate another horror film like Flowey did, we’ll be good… And besides as long as I have my cane, I’ll be able to get away from her…

But where the hell is it?

“Toriel, where’s my cane? It’s a red and white stick lying on the ground. It should be close by.”

She places it in my hand gently. “Here it is, my child. But may I ask, why do you need this particular stick? There are plenty of other sticks around here, and much thicker and longer ones at that.”

{I’ve done this before. Not like this, but it’s not new to me.}

“I… it’s just the right size for me. Blind people use them, all the time, to get around. I arc it on the ground while I walk so I don’t bump into things.”

As we start walking, I move my hand up her arm to her elbow, switching arms so my cane is on our right side.

After a few steps, Toriel suddenly lets go of me, and I feel a tug on my cane. “You have no need to use that when you are with me, my child. I will make sure you are safe from harm.”

I try to explain: “No I understand… and I’m soooo grateful you’re helping me… it’s just… after Flowey, I’d feel safer with it. That, and I always use it if I have it. Even before I came here I did that. And besides I have to learn how to walk around this place.”

As we continue to walk, I feel something warm pass by my face. I let go of Torial and try finding its source. I touch a hard, round object suspended in midair.

*Listen to the song!*

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K276nkB293A

[The shadow of the ruins looms above, filling you with determination.]

“What the—?” I mutter, only for Toriel to edge closer to me. “Are you all right, my child?” she asks concernedly.

“I’m fine… just… this place is weird… Just, worn out…”

“We can rest here for now while I inform you of the nature of the ruins, if you wish.”

After reorienting so she faces me and helping me sit on the ground in front of her, Toriel begins to speak. “Welcome to your new home, innocent one. Allow me to educate you in the operation of the ruins.”

Toriel starts to walk, several clicking sounds accompanying her footsteps. Some distance away, she stops, and I hear a louder clicking sound. She hurriedly walks back to me, placing my hand between hers.

“The ruins are full of puzzles, ancient fusions between diversions and doorkeys. One must solve them to move from room to room. Please adjust yourself to the sight of them.” She tells me, leaning down to my height.

“uh…” 

Toriel inhales sharply. “I am sorry, little one. I have never met anyone who cannot see before. I will be more considerate in the future.”

“Ehh, It’s okay. At least I know there are a lot of puzzles now. The thing is is that I don’t know what you did to solve that puzzle. Can you show me what it feels like?”

Toriel gasps a little. “Oh I could not, my child. It is much too dangerous for you to be interacting with the puzzles right now. But I will tell you what it is. There are six switches on the floor, and a lever on the wall. Near by, there is writing on the wall. It says, ‘Only the fearless may proceed. Brave one, foolish ones. Both not walk the middle road.’ There are markings around some of the switches, which I did not flip, because the writing says not to. The marked switches are on the middle path.”

“I guessed as much from the riddle...”

“You are very observant, my child.”

“When you have to learn how to walk around new places without being able to see, you have to be.”

“Should I continue?”

“Yeah.”

Toriel continues, “After flipping the appropriate switches, I flipped the lever on the wall. Then, the door in front of us opened. Do you understand what I did in order to solve this puzzle, little one?”

“I mean, it didn’t seem that hard. The only thing was that if I tried solving this by myself, I wouldn’t have known about the writing on the wall, so I would have just pressed all the switches until the door opened.”

“This is precisely why I must guide you through the ruins, my child. You cannot navigate them alone, since all of them require sight to solve. Come. There is a second puzzle in the next room.”

She helps me to my feet, and we walk down the hallway and through the door. She stops again.

“To make progress here, you must trigger several switches. Do not worry. I have labeled the ones that you need to flip.”

“How will I know which ones you labeled?”

“I’ve taped a piece of paper to each of the switches you need to flip, innocent one. They are on the wall. Should I walk you over to them?”

I try not to sound too annoyed. Like, she saved my life, for Monado’s sake… and if people… no… if monsters… like Flowey live down here, I’ll need to go slow. Even so, I can find the switches if they’re on the wall. I can’t walk over them by accident.

“I’ll walk along the wall until I find them. You can watch me so I do okay.”

“I will do that, my child. If you ever have trouble finding the switches, do not hesitate to let me know.”

I start to trail the nearby wall, hitting my cane against it every couple feet. I put my other hand on it, feeling for any switches. When I find the first one, I confirm there is a piece of paper on it, and then I pull it. I do so with the second switch and hear a grinding sound. “What was…?”

“There were some spikes in front of the door in front of us, little one. When you pressed the two switches, the spikes retracted into the floor. It is also important to note that there was writing on the wall which said ‘Stay on the path.’ There are two paths across this room, and the second switch you flipped was on the path we were supposed to walk.”

“Okay. So if there’s a puzzle, any switches I flip will solve it?”

Toriel takes my hand and leads me into the next room as she replies, “Precisely, my child. This is the next puzzle. Should I describe it to you?”

I laugh. “Well I wont’ know how we’re going to solve it if you don’t…”

“Very well. We are standing in the eastern part of the room. In the middle of the room, there is a plaque reading ‘The western room is the eastern room’s blueprint.’ There are spikes in the eastern part of this room, so we must follow the path drawn out in the western room.”

“What path do we have to take?”

“I will help you walk through the spikes, so you need not worry. But, since you must know how the ruins operate…”

She pauses for a moment. “May I have your hand? I will hold your…” she pauses uncertainly, “cane, in the meantime.”

I hold out a hand, and Toriel places a fingertip on it. I use my other hand to feel what she draws on my palm. When she finishes, she hands my cane back to me and asks, “Do you understand what we have to do to traverse this room, insightful one?”

“Yeah. Let’s go.”

As we walk across and out of the room, I inwardly thank Alvis that Toriel is accommodating for me. With no way of gaining my bearings, no protection, no familiarity with the nature of this location at all, I have no one to turn to for advice. She has no incentive to help me, and yet, here she is, taking the time to describe hazardous puzzles in inhospitable environments to a blind person.

After a little more walking, we stop, and I hear Toriel turn a little toward me. “As a human living in the underground, monsters may attack you. You will need to be prepared for this situation. However, worry not. When you encounter a monster, you will enter a fight. While you are in a fight, strike up a friendly conversation. Stall for time. I will come and resolve the conflict. Practice talking to the dummy.”

I walk forward until my cane bumps the dummy. When it does, my feet leave the ground. “Uh… what do I say to it?” I call out, twisting my body around a little so I can ask Toriel.

Toriel doesn’t respond.

{Why talk to the dummy if it’s not alive? That’s stupid…}

Instead of talking to the dummy, I contemplate what she has told me.

“When you encounter a monster, you will enter a fight.”

I encountered Flowey when I first arrived here.

Flowey is a monster, so I entered a fight with him when I saw him. Met him…

“Toriel,” I call out again, “do I have to talk to every monster I meet?”

“Why would you ask such a thing, insightful one? Although monsters may attack you, you should not hurt them. This is why I am having you practice talking to the dummy.”

“What if I don’t know what to say?”

“You do not have to talk to every monster you meet. However as long as I am here, you have no need to fear.”

“So I can run away?” I ask. “If I get into a fight, and you’re not there to end it before I can get hurt, I can just run away?”

“Yes, my child. In your case, this may be the only way you can stand a chance against most of the monsters down here, since you...”

She stops uncertainly, saying the next few words as if they are in a foreign language. “Since you cannot see, and do not know what appeases each monster. This is why I must accompany you for the time being.”

I nod. “Okay.”

I turn back around and face the dummy. “Hi? How’s life?”

I wait a few seconds and then keep talking. This was… weird… to say the least. It was like some weird RPG…

Wait.

Like some weird RPG…

Like some… weird RPG…

“Have a nice day.” I try to contain my excitement as my feet touch the floor again. “Where are we going next?” I ask Toriel as she takes my arm and leads me out of the room.

After a few more steps, we stop. “You have done excellently thus far, my child. However, I have a difficult request to ask of you. I want you to walk to the other end of the room by yourself.”

I laugh a little. “Okay… I swear if this room has a lot of puzzles in it…” I start before beginning to walk. I automatically veer off to one side, trailing one wall. Leaves and vines crunch and squish under my feet. I hear Toriel walking along behind me. After a couple minutes, I reach the other wall. I walk along it, only to find a pillar a little off to one side, preventing me from trailing it any longer.

“Greetings my child. Do not worry. I did not leave you. I was merely behind this pillar the whole time. Thank you for trusting me.”

Toriel’s voice, from right next to me. “Well I heard you stop walking, so I knew you were near by. You didn’t have to follow me all the way here. I’ve had people tell me to walk places on my own before to see if I’d learned the route right, but… this is different right?”

She walks a little closer to me and sits down. I sit down next to her, and she places her hand on my knee, patting it affectionately. “there was in important reason for this exercise: to test your independence.”

“I had to learn to be independent a long time ago. I didn’t have someone like you around all the time to help me.”

“All the more important I learn how well you can cope on your own, curious one. However I must tell you something. I must attend to some business, and you must stay alone for a while. Please remain here. It’s dangerous to explore by yourself.”

Toriel’s hand brushes mine, and she places a rectangular object in my hand. “I will give you a cell phone. If you have a need for anything, just call.”

“What’s your number?” I ask. “If this phone doesn’t have a voiceover, I won’t be able to use it.”

“What is a ‘voice over, my child?”

Utter confusion.

{How the hell does she not know about voiceover on phones?}

[She didn’t know you were blind until a couple minutes ago. Cut her some slack.]

I suppose he’s… she’s… they’re… right.

Wait.

He? She? They?

Who is…?

Why am I asking “who is” if Toriel and I am the only ones here?

Am I crazy?

Why am I questioning me asking if I’m crazy?

I feel the cell phone over. Dear Alvis it’s a flip phone…

The underground must not have the same level of technology as Cupertino… the United States…

[Your world…]

{My world…}

I try to explain as simply as I can. “The phone I use can talk, so when I dial the numbers, it says them aloud. Also when someone calls me, it says their phone number or name aloud so I know who it is.”

Toriel makes a distraught sound. “Oh I am so sorry my child. Even though this cell phone does not have a,” she hesitates again, “voice over, you have no reason to feel lost. I will be the only one calling you. So if it rings, you will know it is me.”

I take my backpack off and take out my phone. “Can you tell me your number? I can enter it in here.”

“What is… what is that, innocent one?”

Astonishment. Complete, and utter stonishment.

{She’s never seen a smartphone before?}

[Yeah.]

The voice again.

I reply to it… them… inwardly: {I suppose… what is this? The ‘90s?}

“It’s a different kind of cell phone. I can enter your number so when you call, it says your name aloud.”

“But how will you dial my number if your cell phone has no buttons, resourceful one?”

Okay. Toriel’s nice. Like, she saved my life nice. Nice probably isn’t even the right word--

Fuck it it’s true.

I can’t help it.

{wow… she doesn’t know about touchscreens?}

I unlock my phone and start adding a new contact. “If you touch the phone’s screen, it will type a letter or number. And when the voiceover is on, if I touch that same spot, it will say the letter or number aloud. Toriel, how do I spell your name? And what’s your number?”

When Toriel next speaks, she sounds much less surprised. “I am… happy you can do this by yourself, insightful one. I will help you.”

After entering Toriel’s contact information into my phone, she stands up. At least I can rest assured you will be safe with your own cell phone. I am leaving now. I will call you periodically to ensure you are safe. Be good, all right?”

She walks away, a door opening, then closing behind her.

[Come on. You’re seriously going to stay here? Don’t you wanna know what the ruins are like?]

The voice again.

I say aloud, “I do but Toriel said to stay here.”

[You’ll be fine. You have a phone. And me.]

“Okay… but who are you? Am I crazy?”

[Yeah you’re crazy. You’re staying in this boring room. And I’m your… sighted guide… At least that’s what you call people like me. Come on!]

“Okay…”

After taking a couple more sips of water, I pack my bag and stand up. Before I can move on, however, the voice pipes up again.

[Good thing you drank that. Your HP is a little low, even after using that save point so soon. Being with Toriel must have drained it, even though it healed you fully not long ago and she was also healing you.]

“HP? Save point? What is... what are…?” I begin to ask.

A light chuckle. [I know you know what HP is! And save points! I know what you know, you know... What does HP usually stand for?]

“Health Points?” I say aloud.

Leaving the floor when encountering monsters.

Encountering monsters being called fights.

Love.

I have 1 LV.

LV also stands for levels, where I’m from...

Like a weird RPG…

Like… a… weird… RPG…

“This world… it’s an RPG! It’s Pokémon but I can talk to enemies if I don’t want to fight! I don’t have to either fight or run away. Oh my Goooood!”

[You seem excited.]

“Of course I’m excited! I’m in a fucking RPG, for crying out loud! The only video games I can play are RPGs! And I’ve done challenge runs for Pokémon games! This place has save points, like ChronoTrigger! I know how this world works! And assuming Flowey wasn’t lying… you can sense my HP?”

[Yeah. You can too.]

I stand still a moment. At first the number 1 stands out clearly in my mind’s eye. However, after a couple moments, the number… no… the fraction… 12/20 manifests itself.

That is my HP.

My HP is… kinda bad...

[Are you done freaking out now? We have puzzles to solve!]

“But what if monsters attack me? I—“

[You mean us…]

“What if… monsters attack us? I don’t know what to say…”

[I do. I’ll help you.]

“You know this place?”

[Yeah. Why?]

“Nothing…”

Soon, I find the door and walk into the next room.

[There’s a save point a few feet in front of you. That and a Froggit. Try talking to him to see what he’s like. He’s to your right.]

I turn to the right and walk forward a couple steps. “Hi…” I say slowly.

“Ribbit Hello human. How are you? Ribbit.”

“I’m doing okay… I’m alone because Toriel left me here…” I explain. “I was supposed to stay in the room behind us until she comes back… but… ehh…”

“Ribbit. But you are here instead. Why? Ribbit?”

“I want to know what else is around here. I can’t see, so I need all the information I can get about this place.”

“Ribbit. In that case, I have some advice for you about battling monsters. If you act a certain way, or fight until you almost defeat them, they might not want to battle you anymore. If a monster does not want to fight you, please, use some mercy, human. Ribbit.”

[Is that like the weird RPG you were yelling about?]

Yeah.

“How will I know it’s time to use some mercy?”

“Ribbit. Monsters will glow yellow when they no longer feel threatened. Ribbit.”

The Froggit stops suddenly. “Ribbit w-wait you can’t see. I’m s-sorry, human. They w-will also ask f-for mercy, too. That is our custom. S-sorry. Ribbit.”

“Ehh, it’s all good. I’ll probably have to tell this to everyone I meet down here anyway. Thank you.”

“Ribbit. You’re welcome. Ribbit.”

I turn away and start walking again. To the save point?

[To the save point!]

I walk forward until I feel the warmth of the save point on my cheek. I reach out a hand and touch it.

[Crinkling through the leaves fills you with determination. HP fully restored.]

{Nice.}

[Yeah. And by the way I’ll tell you if you can use mercy on a monster. That’s called sparing them. I got you!]

{Okay, Where to next?}

[Up north, there’s a room with some free food. And I know you like that. And you need it too.]

“Fooooood!”

“Who knew binge-playing all those Pokémon games and Xenoblade would come in handy someday?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If the link in the text of the chapter to Toriel's canon voice doesn't work, here it is again.
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h3obHXIVk5Q&index=5&t=81s&list=PL7Ic3f2gdYDigqPC--ZEtUh_tfLByVDFi#t=01m02s
> 
> Listen from when the video is set to start until 1:21.
> 
> As of 10/13/2017, i finally decided on this timeline's canon voice for Flowey!
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oB_lKI1o754
> 
> Yaaaaas!
> 
> Finally!
> 
> After sixteen months of writing, I've finally found this timeline's canon voice for Chara! Thank Tesla for Undertale: the Narrator's Musical!
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K276nkB293A
> 
> More links will be added to this chapter, and other chapters with voice-acting and music annotations, as I find good voices and songs, so keep checking their endnnotes, because I'll be linking them there for reference.


	2. Chapter 02

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This warning? reminder? will apply to every chapter. I've used Marriland's Let's Play of Undertale, and the Undertale Wiki, for puzzle and enemy descriptions, so take those parts with a grain of salt...
> 
> Also, there will be references to braille in nearly every chapter for a while. If you don't know about it at all, look it up online, because what I say here, though true, is only experientially true. I'm no historian. I'll explain the history of braille to Toriel at some point, but still...

2

*Four pieces of Monster Candy later…*

[Dude you already picked it all up there’s nothing left…]

“Fine… Where to next.”

[Get out of here then I’ll tell you.]

“What’s this Monster Candy anyway?”

[They’re little and white. Why?]

“Crap!!!! Like… friendliness pellets!! Nooooo—“

[They’re not related. They’re just hard candies that don’t taste like licorice.]

After leaving the Monster Candy bowl behind and walking through the other opening in the previous room, I suddenly stop before I can go farther. I try taking another step, but my legs don’t move. [Nooooooo stoooooop!]

“Whyyyyy?”

[There’s cracks in the floor! I stopped you from falling! Well I guess I could have let you keep walking…]

“Whyyyy?”

[It’s the only way to progress.]

“But wouldn’t I have gotten hurt?”

[1 You have the monster candy you’re good. And 2 you have save points., You could have just respawned a couple rooms ago.]

“Okay… let’s go then…”

[Walk forward a few more steps.]

*A few steps later…*

My cane swings out over empty space. I stick it vertically down into the hole, but it doesn’t touch the floor below.

“I hope you know what you’re doing…”

[You know I do… Just bend your legs. From what I… from what you know, that supposedly dampens the fall…]

I jump… and land on my feet. “How far was…?”

[More than you are tall. Not too bad. Just walk over to the right a little and you’ll find the way out.]

“Okay…”

*A few more steps later…*

“I climb this?”

[Yeah. It’s not too bad. After you get out just keep walking until I tell you to stop. Or till I stop you from walking… Put away your cane though ‘cause it’s narrow…]

“The claustrophobia is real...”

[Meh. You’ll know when it’s over…]

After crawling up a few? A few dozen more? Feet, I feel a flat surface. I stand up again, unfold my cane, and keep walking. After several more feet, my feet route to the floor. [A wild puzzle appears!]

“Oh great this place will be full of Zubat…”

[Yeah pretty much. But this isn’t so bad. Just remember that three out of four grey rocks recommend you push them.]

“Like how nine out of ten dentists recommend Crest toothpaste?”

[Just trust me. Walk a little more and you’ll run into a rock. Then I’ll help you push it.]

“How heavy is the rock?”

[It’ll slide along the floor when you push it.]

I find the rock, fold my cane up again, and grasp the rock with both hands. After about a minute of instruction, I hear a grinding sound. “What was…?”

[There were some spikes. The rock activated a switch underneath that tile. Now there are more cracks in the floor, but--]

“Oh dear Alvis no….”

[Well you’ll only fall if you don’t walk in the way I tell you to walk… which you aren’t stupid enough to do…]

This inner voice has a lot of faith in me…

{You don’t know anything about me…}

[Oh yeah? I can hear you… in your own head]

{Okay…}

[If you were so stupid, you wouldn’t have figured out how this world works so fast…]

“Truuuue…? Well binje-playing RPGs and abusing saving in my challenge runs also helps…”

[So come on… cut yourself some slack… You could say that my amazing encouraging presence fills you with… determination!]

“True…”

[Seriously man you can do better than that… I’ve found a lot of hype memes in your head. And from what I hear… well from what you remember, if you do hype things you’ll actually feel that way, even if you didn’t… I can sense you thinking about what to say… Just… dooooo iiiiit!]

“I’m really feeling it!”

[There… now to the puzzle. In a few more feet there are more cracks in the floor. But if you walk over them a certain way you’ll get across. So take it slow. And I’ll be controlling your body again.]

“What if I fall?”

[It’s not that far down. A little deeper than where you jumped. And if you’re really that freaked out that’s what save points are for…]

“Can you help me get back?”

[Sure.]

After using the most recent save point, I return back to the new puzzle. [Okay let’s go. You’ll be… unresponsive… until you get across. But it’s for a good reason. You got this!]

“If we don’t try it we’ll never know!”

Loop until the next note.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dJ6ppbOfEfQ

After a couple minutes of slowly walking across the room, we stop on fully flat ground. I sigh. “Oh thank Alvis we’re--“

I hear a rustling sound not too far away.

“Oh no…”

[It’s just a Moldsmal. Nothing to worry about.]

“Of course I don’t have to worry! It’s juuuuuust a fucking Pokémon encounter in real life! Nothing to see here—“

[Well you can’t—]

“Shut up!”

My feet leave the floor.

“What do I do? I’m not armed so I have to talk…”

[Flirt with it.]

“Whaaaaaaat what the fuck?”

[Come on you heard me—I know you’re not deaf yet…]

“Flirt…?” I repeat. “What does the… Moldsmal… look like?”

[Little and jiggly… Like, knee-high little and jiggly…]

“Like Ditto?”

[From what I know you know about Ditto, then… yes but it’s green…? Wait do you know what--]

{Yeah I do. I could see when I was young so…}

“So I just say something nice about jello?”

[Yeah. And oh yeah and wiggle your hips too.]

“Oh heeeeeell noooo!!”

[They’ll be more likely to spare you.]

I sigh. “Fine.

“Where is it?”

[Walk forward about five feet. Then you’ll be above them, but a few feet in front of them.]

After doing so, I call out, “Animators designing female characters can learn a lot from you…”

[That’s a nice thing to say to anime characters--not jellow…]

*Cue dying a little inside from stupid because… wiggling my hips...*

“You owe me…”

Another rustling sound… but it’s… rhythmic. [It’s wiggling back and forth in response--]

“Ugh!”

[--and glowing yellow.]

A relieved sigh. “Okay how do I spare it?”

[Just say it.]

I clear my throat, and, holding back the awkwardness, I call out, “I spare you.”

More rustling sounds. [It’s gone.]

More relieved sighing.

[Oh and before you withdraw into yourself ‘cause you made a reference no one down here’ll understand, check your pockets...]

In one pocket of my shorts, there are my earphones, and in the other, I reach my fingers in and feel…

“What is…?”

[Gold. You got one from sparing the Moldsmal.]

“If it takes this much grinding to get gold around here I’ll never be able to buy anything…”

[You’ll be fine. There’s plenty of free stuff. Like in the next room… Well more like in one of the next rooms.

[Below us there are six rooms. There’s writing on the wall saying ‘There is only one switch.’]

“Where is it?”

[The openings to the six rooms below us are in a three-by-two pattern. The middle room in the top row has the switch. The upper left and lower right rooms have enemies. The Lower left room has free stuff.]

“Ooooh what is it?”

[You’ll see.]

“Let’s get the free stuff, then…”

{To fight the enemies or nah? I don’t know how powerful they are, so I can’t risk it… And besides, if the friendliness pellets are as painful as Flowey’s…}

“Take me to the room with the free stuff, then we’ll talk to the other monsters.”

My legs begin moving me forward. They bend under me and stiffen, and I jump down. [The Faded Ribbon is on the ground to your right.]

“What’ll a Faded Ribbon do for me?”

[Make it so any damage you take is reduced by 3, in addition to your defense stat… Come on you’re the one who said this world is an RPG! You know how armor works!]

“Truuuuue…” I bend over and feel for the ribbon and pick it up. “How will this protect me?”

[Tie it onto you, or wind it around you somewhere. Maybe your lanyard?]

“But what if it falls off?”

[It should be long enough to tie your hair up with.]

“Okay…”

As I climb back up onto the first floor, the voice asks, [To the Vegetoids?]

“More monsters?”

[Yeah. Jump down here and I’ll help you.]

I jump, but as soon as my feet touch the floor, they leave it again. “What do I do?”

[Pat your stomach! Now!]

“Why? Because this monster likes fat people? We already have an obesity problem wait fuuuuuuuck!!!! You don’t know about America…”

[I’m just gonna ignore that… and no! Exactly the opposite! It’s a carrot with a face…]

“Okay…”

[And you’ll be happy I helped you get and equip that Faded Ribbon… Just get the Monster Candy out of your bag just in case.]

I pat my stomach awkwardly. Soon after, I hear some whooshing noises coming down from above. [I got you! And if you feel something hit you it’s okay. Some of these carrots are green. They’ll heal you for one HP.]

“Okay ahhhh!”

My body jerks around in midair. I feel some pointy objects prick my legs a few times, but just as many times, I sense my HP increase. The green carrots, I guess...

[Pat your stomach again…]

I do so. More carrots fly around me. I do this several more times before I’m told to stop. [They’re glowing yellow.]

“I spare you,” I call out. My feet hit the ground, and I hear a jingling sound from inside my pocket. “Gold just… shows up out of nowhere here?”

[Yeah.]

“Okay… that’s… nice… To the other monster!”

After fighting the second monster, a second Vegetoid, I jump down to the switch room and move on. As I walk into this room, my cane hits something. I reach out and realize it’s a pillar. “Another puzzle?”

[Yeah but this one’s weird. You actually walked through an empty room, which is part of the puzzle. That room had a plaque on the wall, which said ‘The far door is not an exit. It simply marks a rotation in perspective.’ Basically I’ll be walking you through these rooms to find three switches. The thing is is that this room rotates, so we can access the other rooms. You ready?]

“Yeah.”

[The first switch is near the entrance.]

After pressing that switch, I’m guided through the room a couple more times, pressing switches. When I press the last one, the grinding sound of spikes lowering echoes through the ruins. “What path did that unlock?”

[Come on. Almost there. Another rock puzzle, then a… surprise… Another few dozen feet]

“Okay…”

As we walk forward again, I sigh. “It’s so tedious… just… when can we get… I don’t know… home? Somewhere with Wifi and good food? Maybe I’ll find a way home soon…”

After another minute of walking, my legs stop moving. [There’s three more rocks here. I’ll tell you which one to push… well more like I’ll tell you which rock to ask to move for you…]

“I can’t even… I can’t even say anything about that anymore…”

I walk until I’m guided to the first rock. I reach out to touch it, only for it to push away a little. “Hey. You want me to move?”

“Hehhhh?”

“I said do you want me to move?”

“You’re a… talking rock?”

“Yes, actually.”

“But where are you… scooting… off to?”

“To unblock this bridge.”

“Okay… if you say so…”

I hear some grinding sounds. [He needs to move a little more.]

{A little more where?}

[He’ll know.]

“Uh… hey… can you please move a little more?”

“Okay. Like this?”

“Like how?”

“What do you mean, ‘Like how?’”

“I… can’t see you… like… at all… I’m trusting your judgment on this one…”

“Sure thing.”

After a little more grinding, the rock replies, “I’ve moved out of your way. Do you know there’s two more rocks in here?”

“Yeah… why?”

“Good thing you came to me. They didn’t have to be moved. You’re good now.”

“Thanks… I owe you…”

“Uh… talking rocks? I mean, he was nice but… only in the Underground…” I say under my breath after walking across the bridge. “Where to next?”

[Another save point![

“Thank Alvis…!”

[You’ll know it when you see it.]

“Whauw, whauw, whaaaauw…”

[Sorry not sorry.]

I walk forward and eventually feel the comforting glow of a save point by my cheek. [Knowing the mouse might one day leave its hole and get the cheese... It fills you with determination.]

“Wait whaaaaat?”

[There’s a mousehole in one wall. There’s also a table with some cheese on it--]

“Free food?”

[It’s stuck to the table…]

“Ewwwwwww!”

[This is why I’m here: so you don’t get food poisoning. And yes I know you can just spawn back at the save point you just used but come on…

[Anyway after you save here we’re almost home. Just… one last surprise…]

{A surprise being what?}

[Someone cool.]

After I touch the save point and walk out of the room, I’m about to ask who the surprise is when I feel a chill on my skin and hear… buzzing noises? “Why’s it cold? And what are…?”

“Are they gone yet?”

“Whoa…”

[Oh that’s Napstablook don’t worry. Just cheer him up and he’ll go away.

[He’s a bit… emo… though…”

My feet leave the floor, and I call out softly, “Uh… Napstablook… it’s okay… you’re much better off than me…”

“Heh.” Is the monotone reply. My body jerks aroun in midair for a few seconds.

“Seriously. At least you know how to get around I can’t even see it…”

“Heh heh… you don’t have to worry about phasing through walls by accident when you’re not paying attention…”

A wet splat on my skin… and my HP lowering down to seventeen… lowering to fourteen... [Oh yeah his attacks are tears--]

{Of course--}

[Cheer him up one more time…]

I think for a moment. {Must… not… sound… cheesy…}

“Don’t cry… save that for when it matters…”

My feet suddenly hit the floor again.

“Okay…

“Let me try...”

Some… squelching noises…

“I call it ‘dapper blook…’ do you like it...?”

A… whispery voice… next to my ear. {That’s what ghosts sound like down here…? Wait whaaat?}

[Whaaaaat what?]

{The ‘Dapper Blook…}

[It’s a top hat made of tears…]

I laugh aloud. “Okay that hat’s cool. But if you’re a ghost, how does it stay on your head???”

[He can be spared.]

I add quickly, “Can I feel it after I spare you? Like I can’t see it so…”

“Oh gee… Okay… if you say so…”

Some more gold falls into my pocket.

“I usually come to the RUINS because there's nobody around... but today I met somebody nice...”

“Thanks man. You’re pretty cool.”

“I'll get out of your way.”

“See you around.”

“I wish I could say that but—“

The cold feeling disappears, but a… wet… substance… drips down my face. [That’s the hat…]

“Oh… but how does anyone even…

“Let’s keep walking.”

[Up ahead there’s free stuff again!]

“Where!?”

[Just a little farther. I’ll let you know when we get there.]

After a couple minutes of walking and several more encounters, I stop. [The Toy Knife is at your feet.]

“How the hell will a Toy Knife help me? Even a butter knife is more useful…”

[It’s stronger than a stick… it has three attack…]

“I guess… but how will I wield it?”

[Put away your cane. Or at least get good at putting it away when you encounter a monster.]

“But I need—“

[Look man: your cane helps you not bump into things. I do that better, since your hands are free. And you’ll avoid hitting some monster by accident…]

“I guess…” With some… actually very much hesitation, I put away my cane and hold the Toy Knife in my left hand.

[I can tell that was hard on you. Well now that I’m in your body I understand now. Hold out a little longer. We’re almost home. We’ll backtrack a little to get there.]

After walking back the way we came a little and sparing a few more monsters, I’m directed to walk forward again, in a direction we hadn’t gone yet. Footsteps approach me. “Oh dear. That took me longer than I thought it would. How did you get here, my child? Are you hurt? There there; I will heal you—“

{Won’t she caaaaaaaalm doooooown???}

[Trust me she rarely does. When she’s worried, she gets worked up…]

“Toriel I’m fine. The monsters were nice, like you. And I found some stuff to heal me and protect me.”

[And you saved…]

{Does she know about that?}

[No…

[Just… don’t… … mention… … it…]

{Okay…?}

“I should not have left you alone for so long. It was irresponsible to try to surprise you like this… Well I suppose I cannot hide it any longer. Come, small one.”

“Like, where did you go…?”

As I follow Toriel, I feel the familiar glow of a save point near my cheek, and I touch it. [Seeing such a cute, tidy house in the RUINS gives you determination.]

I am about to inwardly respond when the voice chuckles and teases, [Yeah I know… *cue ‘You made a mistake.’ Sound…*]

Stop the music.

I walk a couple more steps, but Toriel lays a hand on my arm before I can continue. “Do you smell that?” she asks.

I sniff the air, and my mouth starts watering. “What is…?”

“It is a butterscotch cinamin pie. I thought we might celebrate your arrival. I thought you wanted to have a nice time living here, so I will hold off snail pie for tonight. But it is too hot to eat right now. Here. In the meantime, I have another surprise for you.”

She takes my arm and we walk to the right a little. “Here we are, a room of your own. Make yourself at home. There are some shoes beside the bed, if you wish to replace what you are currently wearing. Do you wish me to bring the pie to your room when it is finished?”

“Where’s the kitchen? If I’m gonna be staying here for a while, I have to know how to get around your house… And I might want to go out there to get the pie.”

“It is to the left of your room.”

“Okay. You can bring the pie to my room and then I’ll figure out where I want to eat it. Thank you Toriel. I can’t even begin…”

A soft. Kind laugh. “You are very kind my child, but it is not necessary that you thank me. I am merely… doing what any monster would do, if they knew you, and who you were.”

I nod. “I hope so… I hope there aren’t any more monsters like Flowey around…”

Toriel closes the door, and I take my shoes off. I drop my backpack at the foot of the bed, removing the BrailleNote and my phone from it. I place them, alongside my folded cane, on a near by table. [I’ll help you select the right size of shoes…]

“Okay… I’ll damn well need that since my right foot is flat…”

I sit down on the bed and reach over to check the time on my phone. The voiceover says, “2:00 PM.”

“Only?”

[Yeah I guess. Why? Did it feel like longer?]

“I suppose. What I want to know is how much battery I have left on my phone and the BrailleNote. I… I don’t know if they have Wifi here. And I’ll have to turn off everything on my phone that’s not the voiceover to save battery.”

I touch my finger to the upper-right corner of the lock screen, and my phone says, “80% battery power.”

“Time to turn off Wifi and Bluetooth and all the lights and to delete all the apps I never use…”

I go to Settings and hover my finger over the Wifi option. I’m about to enter the Wifi menu and turn the Wifi off, but my finger won’t move. [Check the signal thing.]

“Why?”

“Two of five bars,” the voiceover says.

“Wait whaaaaaat?”

[We both heard that… Seriously…]

“No not that! There’s Wifi heeeeeere!!!!”

[It kinda sucks here but it’s--]

“Trust me I’m just glad it works… Well I’ll only know that when I try connecting to Google… If Google works, then you know the Wifi suuuuucks…”

[Google… Wait ooooh that was your world’s home page… We don’t have that here… What you doing?]

“I’m seeing how advanced their… your? The, technology is…”

I open Safari and wait for the first web page to load. My phone says “Undernet home.” I find a list of links on the screen and choose one. They’re news stories about… different areas of the Underground, apparently… The voiceover reads off some headlines:

“Mettaton’s Next Show Airing Tomorrow Night at 8:00 Pm.”

“Mew Mew Kissy Cutey Marathon Tonight, Starting at 7:00 Pm.”

“Insightful one?”

Toriel rests her hand on my arm and pats it. “The pie is ready. What are you doing?”  
As she asks this, she bends down to read my phone.

“There’s Wiiiiifiiiii!!! Thank Goooood! I know what the Underground is like! They’re… you all are… like home… but without politics…”

“But you are home now,” Toriel, tries to explain.

“I mean… home home…” I trail off.

Toriel grasps my arm. “I have brought the pie here with a tray in case you wanted to eat it here. Have you made your mind up yet?”

[From what I know about you you think knowledge is power. Toriel is right here. DO IT! JUST, DOOOO iiiiit!!!!--]

{Please stoooop… I know I got this.}

“I’ll eat the pie in the kitchen.”

“I will help you to the kitchen so you can eat the pie. You can also learn the way there so you can walk around by yourself.”

I reach over to unfold my cane, but my hand stops in midair. [No no noooo… I’m helping you out now… remember?]

{Yeah... Sorry… just… habit…}

I walk out with Toriel to the kitchen, sitting down and reaching out with both hands as she scoots a plate of hot pie toward me. As I pick it up and start smearing cinamin and butterscotch filling all over my face, Toriel quietly starts to speak. “I want you to know how glad I am to have someone here. There’s so many old books I want to share. I want to show you my favorite bug-hunting spot.”

“Well you can catch the bugs and I can feel them, more like…”

“I am fully aware of that, my child. I’ve also prepared a curriculum for your education.”

“Uh… I’m already in college… I’m a freshman…”

A surprised gasp from Toriel. “Child—I mean… I did not know… I am sorry… You are not a child, then…”

“Ehh. Not for humans… maybe not for monsters either…”

“How old are you, my—insightful one?”

“Eighteen. I’ll be nineteen in… what month is it?”

“September, my child.”

“My name is Pauline. And my birthday is in January.”

“Then you would have been born in January of 183X, Pauline.”

The firstbout of genuine confusion in a couple hours.

“Whaaaat? What do you mean 183X?”

“That is the year, my child.”

“What year is it?”

“It is 201X right now.”

An amused chuckle. ”This may come as a surprise to you, but I have always wanted to be a teacher.”

A laugh of my own, but much louder. “Well you’re pretty damn good at it… if it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t have figured out how the puzzles work.”

[Hey!]

{I’m trying to be nice… and it’s true… before I knew about you.}

“But the thing is… is that since I can’t see, I won’t be able to read the books you have since they’re not in braille.”

“What is braille, Pauline?”

[Finally, you’re the one giving the answers to stuff…]

{I know right?}

“Well,” I begin, “it’s like letters and numbers, but for blind people. It’s made of six dots, three rows by two columns. Different combinations of dots make letters and numbers.”

I pause, contemplating for a second. “Normally, there would be a machine around that I could use to write out some braille, but…”

Toriel stands from the table, walking away. “Do you need objects to substitute for dots, my child?”

“Yeah. The problem is that you don’t have a brailler, so you can’t write the braille out on paper…”

“What is a… brailler… made of, Pauline?”

“The thing is is that I’ve used a brailler, but I don’t know what it looks like. We couldn’t make one, even if you had the materials. We can use a slate and stylus for now.”

“What does it look like? I can make it for us, resourceful one.”

I laugh again. “Well, the one I have has four rows of cells and enough cells per row to go across a normal sheet of paper, whatever size that is for you. We’re going to be writing a lot. Make one as large as your regular size sheet of paper for now…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yaaaaaas! FIIIIIINALLLY!!!
> 
> As of December 6, 2017, I've finally found Visiontale's version of Enemy Approaching! Here's the URL!
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dJ6ppbOfEfQ
> 
> Until now, I could never find a cover which was lively and energetic, and yet, not heavy musically. Essentially, I couldn't find a version that captured the same emotions as the original, except using not 8-bit and not-as-synthesized instruments. The orchestral versions I found didn't have enough drums, and what drums they did use weren't as loud and sharp as in the original. The instruments performing each part never matched up with how each part sounded in the original regarding timbre.
> 
> In this cover, the drums are prominent, but not so loud or sharp that they detract from the melody and all the harmonies. The mix of the piano and the 8-bit synthesizers performing the melody captures Visiontale well, considering that my RPG experiences involve games that use both real and synthesized instruments.
> 
> The organ and excerpt of Stronger Monsters were the icing on the cake.
> 
> Thank you Note Block!


	3. Chapter 03

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There is a description of what writing braille is like here. Again, if it's confusing, it's easier to look it up.
> 
> Also, here are the beginnings of my theory? of how determination works. It's based on some current neuroscience research right now. I'll have it explained in more detail when I eventually meet Alphys.

3

[WAAAAAKE UUUUUUUP!!!!!]

More tired than curious: “The fuuuuck?”

I foooooorgoooooot soooooomethiiiiiing yeeeeeeesteeeeeerdaaaaaay!!!]

“Wait what yesterdaaaay...?” I mumble into my... I mean, the pillow…

[There was something in the ruins I forgot to show you!]

“What.”

[Foooooood!]

“Free food?”

[No... but it's good food...]

“Too lazy… What time is it?”

[Reyn time!]

“Oh heeell noooo!”

[But for real it's like nighttime, but like, really early morning but you pretend it's nighttime still so you can be lazy nighttime... Check your phone.]

I reach over, unlock my phone, and check the time. “6:30 P.M.”

“So it's not late afternoon, evening-ish... then?”

[Let's just say it's 6:30 P.M your world's time, where you live, but it's literally a little after sunrise...]

“Underground???”

[Light shines through the barrier. And they use that to tell the time.]

“How do I figure out what time it is then? I have to change it on my phone to match the time here.”

[Ask Toriel.]

“She's awaaaaaake???? It soooo earrrrly...!”

[She doesn't sleep all in one sitting, like, eight hours at a time. If you don't believe me go to the living room...]

“Okay. But first... where the hell's the bathroom?”

[The door right outside here. I bet Toriel'll notice you're awake... well, up out of bed for some reason... and bring your phone and the BrailleNote with you.]

In a couple minutes, I… we walk into the living room. After a little more walking I stop. Reaching out, I feel the arm of a chair… and then someone's hand lying on the arm. “Good morning, my... I mean, Pauline.”

"Morning."

“Did you sleep well?”

“Yeah. I’m used to napping at weird times of the day… and going to sleep late at night…”

“Do you need anything?”

“I... uh... I just wanted to know what time it is right now... I need to change the time on my phone 'cause if I'm going to be here a while, I'll need to get used to it...”

“I understand my child. There is a clock above the fireplace. It says 10:15 in the morning. There is a second chair next to mine. You can sit down there while you fix your time. Here.”

She takes my arm and walks me a couple feet to one side and I sit down. “After you fix your cell phone and... BrailleNote, I have a surprise for you.”

“Okay.”

A couple minutes later, Toriel walks over to my chair and asks, “I will lead you over to the dining table. I have been thinking about what you have told me. I hope I have… done well...”

After sitting me down in a chair, she guides my hand across the table. My fingertips touch... something... “There are two objects in front of you. Please pick them up, my child.”

[Daaaaamn sooooooon.]

{I can't even...}

[If you were talking to literally anyone else you'd say it too...]

{Truuuuue... The cells are a little... not the same size... but for the most part it's fine.}

[And the stylus is metal, so that's good... so it will last.]

{Truuuuue...}

“Pauline? Is the... slate and stylus... satisfactory?” Toriel asks in an expectant voice.

“You, made this???,” Much of the tone I would have used if I had said “Daaaaaamn soooon” is evident regardless.

A brief, soft laugh. “Of course my child. I worked on it outside while you were asleep. And—“ She holds out her hand, placing some flat metal discs in my hand, “I have created some, braille dot, substitutes, so we do not waste paper. I have also made some frames to put them in.”

“Hooooly shit you worked with metal? For me?”

[And you said “Daaaaaamn soooooon” wasn’t appropriate…]

{I know I know…}

“If that is what it takes for you to be happy here, I will gladly do it again, my child. Is there anything I need to fix? I followed your description as best I could.”

“Some of the cells are larger than others and the round insides of some of the cells aren'the same size or evenly spaced out either.”

“I will keep this in mind. Before you came, I decided on the ingredients and did most of the preparation for our next meal. I will begin the cooking, and while that happens, we may talk.”

{How the hell do I even start?}

[You got this! You just... start small...]

“Toriel?” I call out.

“Yes? I am lighting the fire for the toast.”

{Lighting the fire?}

[She's using magic. She has a stove but she doesn't use it.]

{Okay...?}

[Yeah, like, she used a fireball to scare away Flowey... And how do you think she did the metallurgy for the slate and stylus?]

{Coooool!}

[I know right?]

“You might wanna get a pencil and a piece of paper so you can write this stuff down...”

The swooshing and crackling of a newly-lit fire. Footsteps. A chair scraping across the floor... and Toriel's hand on my shoulder. “May I sit here my child? It will be easier for you to give feedback on my... braille that way.”

“Oh yeah... 'cause if you sit over there—“ I point in front of me, to where Toriel had been sitting before, “your braille would be upside down for me...”

She piles the metal discs in my hand. “I am ready.”

“Well, like, this is the braille cell. This one's dot 1, this one's dot 2...”

... “The letter ‘a’ is dot 1 only. ‘b’ is dots 1-2.”

“Is ‘c’ dots 1-2-3?”

“No... that's ‘l’.”

... “Is this the letter ‘h’?”

“That's "’j’. ’J’ is 2-4-5. "H" is 1-2-5. ‘D’ and ‘f’ are flipped. And ‘r’ and ‘w’ are too". ‘E’ and ‘I’ are too...”

... “Pauline, how do these feel?”

“Uh... a through l are fine. But the bottom dot on the ‘m’ should be in the lower left, not the lower right. M is 1-3-4, not 1-4-6.”

... [Whaaaaat???? So quickly…?]

{What do you mean?}

“Is this what my name would look... feel... like, in braille?”

“Yeah! But you put a dot 6 before the ‘t’. You put a dot 6 before a capital letter.”

“What if all letters in a word are capitalized? Do you put a dot 6 before each letter?”

“You put two dot 6s before the first letter of the word.”

“How will I braille any of these old books if I cannot write sentences?”

“The thing is is that most braille books aren't written like this. They're written in grade 2 braille. This is grade 1 braille.”

“How is grade 2 braille different from grade 1 braille?”

“It has contractions... like the two letters ‘en’ are the dots 2-6. but it's complicated... Mormally there'd be reference materials for them I could use but...”

“Just name them… as many as you can... and I can write them down...”

{That patience though…}

“It'd take a while... and you’d have to know the grade 1 braille first... And if you have any math books or anything with numbers, that’s also different… And even now I don’t know all of that kind of braille…”

“Is that how you learned braille? You learned grade 1 first?”

“Yeah. But I learned contractions when I was young. It took... uh.. a long time... to learn them all.”

“We have time my child. But first... I will make lunch. It is 12:45. Then I will fix the slate and stylus. Then you can figure out what you want to do.”

[Ask her about the food... to go outtside to find it...]

“Oh yeah after lunch can I please go back into the ruins? I haven't seen everything yet!”

“Of course my child Just bring your phone. If you ever get lost, just call me.”

“The problem is that I don’t have a charger for my phone. So eventually it will run out and I won’t be able to use it anymore. So I’ll have to use yours…”

“I will give you my spare phone after we eat. Do you have—“

Toriel’s voice suddenly changes. A little more… sad… “You have my number already, so you have no need for me to tell you it again, resourceful one.”

“Yeah. As long as your phone has a redial button, then as long as I call you once, then I’ll never have to dial your number again…”

*A lunch time later…*

“I will be doing some work inside for a while my child. I will have my cell phone close at hand in case you call.”

“Okay. See you later.”

As soon as I’m out of earshot of Toriel, I abruptly break into a jog. [The bake sale isn’t far. Come on!]

{Why you making me run?}

[Because it’s free food…?]

{What do they sell?}

[Doughnuts and cider… a cider for eighteen gold. A doughnut for seven gold.]

{How much do I have?}

[Count it…]

{Forty… this better be good… Also on a note about counting gold, do they have five G coins or ten G coins?}

[No… it was never a problem--]

The voice cuts itself off. [Never mind…]

*A couple minutes later…*

[Hold up seven G. They’ll exchange it for the doughnut.]

{Okay.}

I hold up my hand with seven G in it, and it leaves my palm, one coin at a time. In its place, a doughnut wrapped in a napkin drops down. “Thank you,” I call out, but no one answers.

“Where’s the cider?”

[Walk over a couple feet. Hold up eighteen gold this time.”

After holding up the gold, a jug of cider as large as a Costco jug of milk drops onto my hand. Fortunately they’re… whoever’s running this thing… is nice to give me the jug handle first. “Thank you,” I call out again. {Daaaamn it’s huuuuuge!}

[Yeah… you comparing it to a Cosco milk jug isn’t wrong. Uh, you’ll want to hoard the Spider Cider. It’s… not sold very often… and it has healing properties…”

{Spider Cider?}

[It’s made of real spiders, not just the juice.]

{Euwwww…}

[Hey from what I know about you and food, you care about organic stuff. This cider is as organic as it gets! Like seriously it seems like you know a lot of people who care where their food came from… shouldn’t they just be happy it’s… well… food… and that they have any?]

{Truuuuue…? Like, all truuuuuue…? Yeah… a lot of people care if their food is organic. It’s expensive but… people still do it… but I’m no expert… If I can I’ll eat organic food but I don’t go out looking for it.}

[Just hold onto that thing. Even if it’s empty. You’ll help promote their brand that way.]

{Easy enough… Now all I have to do is make up for all the gold I lost… Is it possible for us to walk around and encounter monsters for that?}

[RPG hoarding tendencies?]

{Yeah…}

[I’ll walk you around and help you dodge monsters’ attacks[\\]

I walk around for about an hour and a half, talking, or gesturing, or… flirting… with the monsters. Just as I am about to earn my 150th gold, my phone rings. I put it on speaker: “Hello? Toriel?”

“My child, I wanted to let you know that I will be doing some errands for a couple hours, so I will not be home. Where are you as of this moment?”

“The ruins. Should I come home?”

A short laugh. “Of course not. I merely wanted to notify you so when you come home, you do not come looking for me, only to realize that I am no longer present. Was there anything you wanted me to buy?”

“Hmmm…”

{Yolo!}

[or Naaaah…]

{What do you mean or naaah?}

Uncharacteristic hesitation. [… … Uh… tell you later…]

{Okay…?}

[You were saying?]

{Since they have Internet here, like, would they have phone chargers?}

[Why do you ask?]

{‘Cause I want to kno what the Underground is like. I can’t read Toriel’s books as they are now. We can’t scan them since I don’t have a computer to hook the scanner up to. My phone’s all I have.}

[Ask her then.]

“Toriel, do you think you could find a charger for my phone?”

“Of course my child. But I foresee a problem. Since you do not know what your charger looks like, how will you describe it to me? How will I know what to look for?”

“I’ll come home and see if I can find a picture of it online. Or I can describe it.”

“I will await your arrival home then. Bye Pauline. See you soon.”

“See ya Toriel. Bye.”

On the way back home, I ask, {Uh… can I ask… you… something?}

[Yeah. ]

{What should I call you? Like… at least online I can call people by their usernames…}

[My name’s Chara.]

{Chara… spelled how?}

[Like “character” Chara, but pronounced “Car-uh.”]

{Sounds mysterious…}

[First come on I know you were gonna say shadey… And second only as much as you want it to be.]

{Okay… Uh… Chara… I… I also wanted to ask… you said that YOLO isn’t true… Why?}

[Because you are filled with determination.] is… Chara’s… unhelpful and untrue response…

{Oh yeah… You said Toriel’s house and those leaves and the gross cheese filled me with determination…}

[Yeah… so…? Your point is…]

{Is that a… custom… in the Underground? To say that… random objects… or important objects… fill you with determination…?}

[No.] Chara says harshly. [I said it because it’s the truth.]

{But I don’t feel very determined…}

[No. You don’t feel determined. You are determined.]

{I mean… that’s true, but not all the time. I can be--}

]Around here, because you are human, you are determined. Being determined is basically a nearly universal state of being for humans. It’s almost synonymous with being alive…]

{What’s…}

[To put simply, determination… gives humans the power to reach their maximum potential, even in the most dire circumstances. You know what saving is, right?]

{Saving what? Money?}

A grunt of frustration: [Come on I know you’re smarter than this. You understand more than anyone else I’ve known down here. I mean like saving in games.]

{Yeah. I spawn where I saved.}

[And what else happens?]

{Everything is how it was when I saved.}

{And in games why would you do this?]]

{Because I did something wrong… or got lost…}

[Yeah, but why do you save, more generally??]

{If I mess up, I can go back and try again.}

[So YOLO is wrong because…?]

“Ooooooh… myyyyyyy… Goooooood…”

[So what does saving do?]

{It sets stuff back to how it was when I saved.}

[But whyyyy would you save down here?]

{Because I want to fix something I did wrong.}

[And if saving sets everything to how it was like when you saved, then what does this mean for you?]

{I can try again.}

[I know that right now, you’re drawing on your memories of playing the Pokémon games. In Pokémon White 2, when you were fighting gym leaders without anyone to help you, what would you do before fighting each gym leader?]

{Save?}

[Why?]

{So if I died I could just soft reset and try again…}

[So… here…?]

“Ooooooh… myyyyyy… Goooood…”

{I’d come back to life… … … …}

[You said that you would save so you could correct any mistakes you made. Why would you want to save here? Why would you want to come back to life?]

I reply aloud, in a hushed voice. “Because… because I don’t want to die here…”

My voice cracks. “I’m too young to die… I haven’t done everything I want to do.”

[Not just here. You don’t want to die ever. That will to live… that is the triggering… emotion… or event… for determination.]

{But how is it that the cheese and Toriel’s house are places that I could reappear at?}

[Because they’re significant. They stand out. And because… I used them too…]

{You, used them?}

[Yeah… just know that I’ve seen all this before… a lot, actually…]

{So… you already know what determination is?}

[Yeah.]

I slowly wonder aloud, “Why do save points appear? Based on what you’re saying, it seems like save points appear when you die…”

[Not exactly… Everyone wants to correct their mistakes. Everyone has a time in their lives when they fuck up, and want to set right what once went wrong. And everyone wants to live. With the save points you can do both these things, if you want it hard enough…]

“But if determination… minmaxes people’s potential, then… what can you do with that?”

Another pause from Chara. [I, don’t know… I only know you can use it to reset… that’s actually the thing determination is known for. Why do you ask?]

“What if I’m determined to do something that’s not… … cheating death?”

[You think you could use determination for other stuff?]

“Yeah. I just have to want it enough… right?”

[I know what you’re about to say and no; if you’re right about determination, it doesn’t work how you think: you can’t use determination to get your sight back. You can’t physically imagine yourself seeing again, not how a normal person sees. You only had a couple years worth of experiences to draw on. That was your maximum you’d end up minmaxing. And as of right now you can’t see anything like what you saw back then, so… yeah… it couldn’t happen anyway.]

{But how does it work? Do I just imagine myself at the save point, and I spawn there? Or if I can use determination for other stuff, how would determination affect my body? Would it increase adrenaline output? Would it make it so all my energy was focused on… running away or enduring attacks, or what?}

[Well… here’s the thing. Frankly it’d be better you know this now and not later. But there’s someone who knows a lot more about determination because they studied it scientificly. It’s good you’re trying to research this, and this place. I wish I did it more when I was here, actually. If you spend a little more time on the Undernet, you’ll find her.]

{Okay…}

I walk back into Toriel’s living room and I hear her stand from a chair. “Hello Pauline. I was waiting for you. Do you have a photograph of the phone charger prepared?”

“I’ll try looking for it. If I can’t find it, I’ll describe it to you.”

*A couple minutes later…*

I can’t help but shout “They have it! It’s… somewhere called Snowdin Town.”

“Oh I know where that is my child. It will not take me long to arrive there and determine whether the charger is available. And if it is not I can always place an order.” Toriel perks up.

“An order? Who makes them? Where do u get them from?”

Toriel suddenly sighs heavily. “I have not seen her in a long time… I do not know how she will respond to your presence in the Underground…”

“Who is she?”

Another sigh. “It is too painful to explain, my child. I am terribly sorry. But I promise I will try my best to find this phone charger.”

She stops for a moment, her tone turning apologetic. “Oh I should have asked this sooner. I am sorry for being caught up in my own thoughts. Why do you need this charger?”

I laugh. “Let’s just say it’s hard… okay, like… almost impossible… for me to go without the Internet for more than a couple hours at a time. Maybe not even then. The Internet’s the only reason I was able to do my work at school. And besides: since we don’t have the technology to scan your books, it’s better I read stuff online. Maybe I’ll find digital copies there.”

I say the rest wistfully: “And since I’m not in school and not doing homework, I have… a lot… of free time now…”

[Reyn time!?]

{Oh heeeeell nooooo!}

“Very well. Toriel walks forward and hugs me. I hug her tightly back. “I will be off then insightful one. I have left hot dogs and pie on the dining table. I have put them in a thermos, so they should remain relatively warm until you wish to eat them. Unfortunately I do not have a microwave, and it is much too dangerous for you to use the stove by yourself.”

“Yeah…” I agree.

Toriel begins to walk away, down some stairs. “Oh my child: if you ever hear someone knock on this door downstairs, feel free to ask who it is and open it for them. Sadly I do not have a spare key for you to leave the house, but I will make that my first priority when I leave here.”

“So you have someone to make spare keys too?”

A, reprimand? No…. it’s teasing. “My child, I may not have a smartphone, but I am aware of key-copying.

[YOOOOOUUUUU IIIIIDIIIIIOOOOOOOT!!!]

“Fair enough…” I call after her, just a little embarrassed…

“Be good my child. And stay safe.”

“Bye.”

The door downstairs loudly shuts.

[Wait whaaaaaaat she’s giving you a spare key???]

{What? Is this weird?}

[Yeaaaaah!!! She didn’t let anyone leave like that before…]

{Before???}

Chara sighs. [Okay… I should have told you this earlier… Toriel would have told you eventually but that’s not the point. You know how Toriel said that every day she walks through the ruins to see if anyone has fallen down?]

{That’s a normal thing?}

[Yeah… it’s happened several times…]

{Whyyyyyy?}

[I’ll tell it to you like how Toriel told me.

Long ago, two races ruled over earth: humans and monsters.

One day war broke out between the two races. After a long battle, the humans were victorious.

The monsters were sealed underground with a magic spell, underneath Mount Ebot.

They say that those who climb the mountain never return.]

“Whaaaat???” is my rhetorical, whispered response. “Why’d humans declare war?”

[It’s not for me to say… I actually don’t know why. Just… well… they need human souls to break the barrier that traps them down here, seven of them.]

{oh nooooooo… no no no no no…}

“How many do they have?”

A long pause. Then Chara says quietly, [Six.]

“Fuuuuuuuuuuuck!!!!!!”

[Yeah… this is why when Toriel sees a human child, well, a human, she doesn’t let them leave. She doesn’t want them getting killed.]

{So she stops them from leaving?}

[Yeah. But the six humans who came before you… they all left… but Toriel made them prove they were strong enough to survive outside first.]

“By…?”

[Fighting them.]

“A-a-and… t-t-they’re a-a-a-all d-d-d-dead n-n-n-now?”

Chara sighs. [Yeah…]

{But I have to get home! I have school! How will I--}

Another pause, but much longer. [It’s… complicated… just… I’ll help you figure out how this world works, and maybe even how to get home. It’s just… I’ve never seen this happen before…]

{Why?}

Chara laughs. [Well for one a blind person’s never fallen down… let alone a college age blind person…]

{Really?}

[Toriel asked how old you were since… well… everyone who’s fallen down before you has been younger than you… significantly so… like, preteen younger than you…]

“Oh… my…”

[yeah…]

Chara changes the subject. Honestly I don’t dwell on the condition of the past six humans who were here… except for the fact that I didn’t think about how Toriel had the shoes already… [How about you prepare for if Toriel doesn’t find a phone charger ready to buy? Also prepare for when the BrailleNote dies…”

{Oh yeah… there’s some stuff I’ll write down now so I still have it when the BrailleNote and my phone die…}

When I walk back to my room, I feel something on the table, next to my cane. “The slate and stylus is fixed!”

[Yeah. And just in time too. How much battery does the BrailleNote have?]

After turning it on, I check the braille display and read aloud, “It has sixty percent left. I’ll turn off the Wifi and the other stuff I don’t use. The problem is that even if the BrailleNote is off, the battery drains. And… well… since you guys don’t seem to know much about blind people to begin with, I don’t think you’d have a charger for the BrailleNote either…”

[Truuuuue…]

“But how will I stop the battery from draining?”

[Take it out but put it in again when you need to use it?]

“Maybe… I’ll do that after I write down some stuff. I don’t know how useful it will be here, but who knows? I’ll at least copy down my passwords, since I know there’s Internet—“

[Undernet you mean?]

“Yes? And no…?”

[Okay. I’ll just get the essential stuff. Then when Toriel comes back I’ll have her write it out in print and—“

A banging sound in the distance.

“What was…?”

A… devious…? Chuckle from Chara. [Come on we got this. I think… no: I know who that is.]

“Whoooo?”

[You remember what Toriel said right? If someone knocks on the door, you can basically violate any common sense from parents talking to their kids they’re leaving alone and ask who it is and open the dor and not feel creeped out! And without getting killed like every stupid horror film victim ever!]

“Okay…?”

[Leave your stuff here. You should take out the battery from the BrailleNote now though.]

With Chara’s help, I walk out of the room, and instead of walking straight out my bedroom door, I walk out a ways, then turn right, so I am walking down the stairs. They tell me these stairs are directly across from Toriel’s front door.

After opening the door to the basement, Chara explains, [This place is pretty empty. You could walk around down here without me and you’d still be fine. There’s no furniture or anything down here. The door is—]

Another knock, almost deafening now, now that the door’s not too far away.

[We’ll walk forward a few dozen feet to get to the door.]

{But what do I do when I get there?}

Chara’s voice softens, for the first time not sounding sarcastic or informative. [Just, ask who it is. And I’ll help you open the door. I think, no: I know you’ll enjoy this.]

A third set of knocks, but after them, I hear… a somewhat faint voice… “Knock knock.”

"Nope!"

[You're supposed to ask "Who's there?"]

{"Fuck that!"}

[Seriously ask "Who's there?"]

"Nope nope nope nope nope!"

{That’s not creepy at all…!

[I know it sounds like the title of a cheesy horror film… a comedy horror film or otherwise… but trust me it’s fine.]

Chara seems… excited. “And besides I think you’ll like this. JUST! DOOOOOO IIIIIIT!!!!]

“Fine. but if Toriel’s house ends up getting robbed—“

[Well you can’t blame me because no one else knows I’m here… so…]

*Cue face palm*

{Oh yeah… … … shit.}

[Come on!]

I suddenly begin walking forward briskly. [The handle’s on the right side.]

“But I’m not gonna open—“

I abruptly stop, one of my hands reaching out in front of me. I feel a cold, stone surface. “Oooooh heeeelll nooooo!” I protest…

The door swings outward and open, with surprisingly little creaking…

I’m impressed.

With the door. Not Chara…

“Hello?” I call out.

No one answers. I call out again, but there is still no response. I walk forward a couple feet, find the door handle, then close the door again.

Listen until 2:34, then close.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TqhirHCWBc4&t=328s#t=01m42s

Make sure you finish what's left of this chapter by the time the song reaches 0:26.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=emU2aoj8CIQ&index=11&list=FLmHGufMoIDktodLm1kSXITA

“Human… don’t you know how to greet a new pal???”

“Fuuuuuck!!!” I spin around, but don’t know exactly what to do next since… someone’s already inside the house…

{But no one answered how!?!?}

[They could have walked through…”

{But that door's—}

[It’s actually pretty big. And it did prop itself open. And you were standing in only part of the doorway…]

{But what do I do!?!? They’re already insiiiide!!}

[Well you’ve already turned around… just… shake his hand…]

{But I don’t even know who he is!}

[Look man Toriel said that it was okay for you to ask who it was and let them in. She trusts everyone around here. So she trusts him. And you trust her… so…]

{I guess… but if anything happens—wait shit I can’t blame you can’t I…?}

[Yeah… just… reach your hand out…]

I extend my left hand outward but don’t feel anything. I take a step forward, and I also hear… the other person—monster--moving closer. After a couple seconds someone’s hand grips mine.

{Daaaamn his hands are coooold… and dry…}

[Not dry… not really.]

{What do you--?}

As our hands move upward in the midst of beginning the handshake,

… … a balloon deflates… or worse… {Uh… … …}

Chara begins to giggle… very out of place like…

“Heh heh heh. The old whoopee cushion in the hand trick. It’s always funny…”

{You can’t be serious…}

I withdraw my hand and take a step back, only for a hand to touch my arm. I keep trying to back away. His hand’s sooooo dry… and… bony…

“Oh yeah. Sorry. I should’ve told you where I was first. Tori told me to come by. Guess she didn’t tell you who I was yet.”

“What!?”

A short, deep chuckle. “Ehh. It’s okay. I’m new at this. I’m Sans. Sans the skeleton. I’m actually supposed to be on watch for humans right now but,” he? pauses a moment, “you know, I don’t really care about capturing anybody.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here is the link to the Sans voice.
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TqhirHCWBc4&t=328s#t=01m42s
> 
> Watch until 2:34, or as close as possible. I included the question, and not just Sans' answer, for context.
> 
> Here is the link to Sans' theme for Visiontale, if it's not easily-accessible in the chapter text itself!
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=emU2aoj8CIQ&index=11&list=FLmHGufMoIDktodLm1kSXITA
> 
> Make sure you reach 0:26 by the time the chapter ends, and start listening to it when the note says so, no sooner, no later. This chapter and the next one are meant to be read one after the other, so the song picks up where the next chapter starts. That's also why only such a small and specific part of the song is mentioned here.


	4. Chapter 04

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Let's just say there is a reason I had Sans watch all those Xenoblade videos... trust me...
> 
> My process for figuring out the date in the Underground is based on the research I performed for this chapter. I'll post a full list of URLs I visited in the endnotes, if anyone wants them. Just say so in the comments.
> 
> The things I do for you, Undertale...

4

[Time to say something that sounds completely stupid but means well!]

{Uh, more like something that tries to mean well… Let's see how he'll react. “Sans Reacts to Nerdy Blind Kid...”}

[Hey! That should be copyrighted shouldn’t it? Based on your memories--]

{Oh heeeeeeell noooo! Moving on! Nothing to see here!}

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=emU2aoj8CIQ&index=11&list=FLmHGufMoIDktodLm1kSXITA#t=00m26s

Loop until the chapter ends.

“Hello. I'm soooo soooorryyyyy for freaking out like this... I should’ve known you'd—“

Stumbling over my words like an idiot…

Sans cut me off. “Oh come on kid. You can't apologize for somethin' you never would have known about. I do that to everyone.”

“You mean you give everyone heart attacks?”

[And there goes any attempt at actually being nice...]

{He scared the living--}

Chara suddenly turns serious. [Trust me: Sans hasn’t scared the living shit out of you yet…]

{But he--}

Somehow Chara becomes even more serious. [Trust me. You’ll know it when it happens…]

“Well, when you put it like that, you could say every time you see me you'll be heartbroken.”

“Ugh...”

*Then cue cringe-induced snickering*

“If you keep doing this you’ll give me a heart time…” I warn? Him.

Another chuckle. He seems encouraged. “Bad puns: the best ice breaker. But I have to ask: Pauline, have I scared you enough that you won’t let me in?”

“You know my name.”

[YOOOOOU IDIIIIIIOOOOOT! Crashing the mobile artillery into a house?!?]

{Wow… But how is that weird! Why are you doing that!? How does he--}

“Of course. Tori thought it’d be a good idea if I knew a bit about you before coming here.”

[See? I DON’T WANT ANY EXCUSES! CHAMPIONS DON’T WHINE; THEY WIN!]

{*Sigh…* I guess…}

“What else did she tell you?”

“That I should make it obvious that I’m a skeleton so you don’t feel awkward about holding my arm when we go places…”

Somewhat embarrassed, I admit, “Truuuuue…”

“Well then. Are you gonna let me in then? You’re unnecessarily pulling my heartstrings…”

“But… if you’re a skeleton, you wouldn’t have a heart…”

*Cue singing a Kanye West song, and Chara giggling some more…*

“I was working on something when you knocked, so… I’ll finish that. Then we can talk… or whatever…”

“Whatever you want kid.”

Sans holds his arm out to the side a little, and I grab his elbow. We walk upstairs to my room. “Heyuh. Can I take off my slippers and jacket here?”

“Sure. This is only an Asian house ‘cause I’m here, so go ahead.”

“And uh, can I sit on your bed?”

“Sure. Why do you ask?”

“Tori wanted me to, ease you in, to the rest of the underground. We didn’t know how much you’ve seen—“

Sans stops mid-sentence. “Man . I’m sorry. Just, force of habit…”

“Ehh. It’s okay… I do it too…”

“I mean, we didn’t know how much you’ve been exposed to till now. So she told me to be careful.”

“Fair enough.”

“Also: I don’t know how much you can do or how much you care about your room being different from normal on your own, so, yeah.”

[You’re annoyed at him aren’t you?]

{*Sigh*… I just… I don’t know. It’s nice Toriel told him about me but…}

[But what?]

{I don’t want to be treated different here too.}

I sit on the bed next to Sans and spread my hands out over the bed’s surface, searching for the BrailleNote, the BrailleNote’s battery, and the slate and stylus. “I mean, that makes sense but… did Toriel tell you I’m in college?”

“Yeah. It was the first thing she told me after sayin’ you were… blind. Seriously. I’m impressed. I couldn’t walk around like that.”

“Everyone takes their sight for granted. I just hope that doesn’t happen down here…”

“Heya. Us monsters, we’re not perfect. But yeah; we haven’t met someone like you before. Just do what you’ve always been doing.”

I go into my document with all my important information, insert a clean sheet of paper, and start poking some phone numbers into it.

“How’d you realize that you had to write the braille in backward so it would turn out right on the flip side?” Sans asks.

{Whoaaaaaaa…}

[Come ooooon. Why are you surprised?]

“Trial and error. I started using this thing in second grade. And when I tried writing my name and took the paper out, I was soooo mad it came out wrong…”

“Hey. When you’re done with that can I give it a shot? I mean, if you’re gonna be writing stuff to everyone like this, I need to raise awareness of it.”

[Ooooooh… myyyyyyy… Goooooood…]

{Are you fucking kidding me!?}

[Nope!] Chara breaks down laughing incoherently… and I do the same…

“I’m impressed. Like, I’ve made blind people jokes, and some braille jokes, but…” I trail off.

[What’s the braille joke?]

{If Sans doesn’t play Super Smash Bros for Wii U he won’t get it…}

[Truuuuue…? You mean if Smash for Wii U doesn’t exist down here in a recognizable form Sans won’t get it…]

{Truuuuue…}

“I don’t know how much of this stuff I need, but I’ll get all of it… or at least enough of it. I know that I could find email addresses and most phone numbers on my phone if I need them, but if Toriel doesn’t find a charger, I’ll have to do this anyway…”

Sans chuckles yet again. “Oh man. Tori told me ‘bout your phone. She kinda wants one, but she’s still confused about how to type if there aren’t any buttons…”

“Yeah… she freaked out when I showed it to her… Like, are there no smartphones down here?”

“Nope. There are. But they’re just prototypes. Us monsters, we get our technology from the dump in Waterfall. It’s pretty cool, ‘cause we sometimes get current stuff. Well, current to our knowledge, from what we’ve read online…”

“Sans?””

Yeh?”

“What’s technology like here? Like, you know about smartphones, but Toriel doesn’t, so do only some people know? And you have Internet and social networking, so you can’t be too far behind us…”

“Hmmm…” San’s voice sounds less… lazy? Less, drawling. “Kid, I have a question for you.”

“Yeah?”

“You know what year it is right?”

“Yeah. It’s 201X. Toriel told me the first day I was here.”

“What year do you think it is down here?”

“If you have access to the regular Internet, then the time should be the same down here as it is up there.”

“So you’re correlating the year down here to the year on the surface, eh?” He sounds… interested.

“Not exactly. I’m correlating the year down here to the year where I come from. That’s why I was happy to know you had Wifi down here, because assuming…”

{This is gonna sound crazy…}

[Why not do it? But hey! That’s just a theory! A--]

{Oh heeeeeell noooooo!}

[Fine…]

Quiet patience. “Assuming what?”

“Assuming… that technology has progressed mostly similarly in this world as it has in mine, I can narrow down what year or range of years it should be based on the technology you have.”

“So you want to know what we have down here?”

“Yeah.”

“So: you said you were happy to find out we had Internet, well, the Undernet, and Wifi. When were they made in your world?”

[This isn’t like Sans… He already can tall you’re not fron om on the surface… well this world’s surface…]

{Whaaaaat? He’s pretty chill.}

Palpably awkward silence from Chara. [Uh… yeah. Let’s just say you’re in the minority when it comes to that opinion…]

{Whyyyyyyy?}

[You’ll see, when you eventually leave this place.]

{Okay…}

“Um… The Internet was developed in the 1970s where I come from. I think it became available to consumers in the 1990s. Facebook has been around for… a long time… It was one of the first, or maybe the first, social networking site. It’s been around since the mid 2000s. I’d say around 2005.”

“Well can’t you check online so you know for sure?”

“Yeah.”

*A couple minutes on Google and a bad pun about MySpace later…*

“Okay Facebook was founded in early 2004, not 2005. And Myspace came first. And if you’re making fun of MySpace, your world has technology exceeding 2005.”

“How about Wifi then, kid?”

“I started hearing about it in… the late-ish 2000s… by the time I started sixth grade I knew what it was. Or what it did anyway.”

“When’d you start sixth grade?”

“2009.”

“So it’s older…”

“Yeah.”

“But how much older?”

After a couple more minutes on Google, I summarize, “I found a page on Wikipedia about the history of Wifi.”

After a few more minutes, I continue: “I can’t find the date for the first time Wifi was made commercially available for use to go online.”

After a few more minutes, I say, “I found the name of the first computer that had Wifi networking on it. Let’s just hope it’s Internet Wifi, and not microwave oven Wifi…”

“Nice. If I can do a Google search about food and make my microwave warm that same food for me all at once, I’ll take that…”

“Truuuuue…”

*A few more minutes of wondering why Wikipedia is so labyrinthine later…*

“Okay!” I gasp, out of breath after reading a couple more pages. “Most likely, Wifi became commercially available for Internet use in 1999. And assuming that you haven’t gotten access to our TV radio bands for Wifi yet, then conservatively, it is 2005 or later here.”

e

“Okay...”

I turn the voiceover off and hand it to Sans. After a few seconds of silence, I hear a… familiar voice…

*A few notes of electronic keyboards and Korean vocals later…*

“Ooooooh… myyyyyy… Gooooood… You gotta be kidding me…”

“Nope. See for yourself.”

When he hands the phone back to me, the voiceover is already reactivated. I read the title and publication date of the video.

“I never thought I’d be so happy to hear ‘Gangnam Style’ in my life…”

“So: now you know that all things being equal, the year here is at least after July 2012.”

[Come ooooon… Why are you so happy? And don’t try lying ‘cause I’ll know…]

{Fine… I… I just hope it’s here…}

[Xenoblade?]

{Yeah… I’ll look for some music. If it’s here, then I’m good…}

[And the Xenoblade Chronicles 3D trailers?]

{Yeah…}

I set the cursor in the YouTube search box. When I’m done typing I scroll my finger down the page, listening to the search results.

“Yeeeeees! IIIIIIT’S HEEEEERE!”

“Whoa hold up. What’s here? Something from your world?”

“Yeeeees! Just… listen!”

*A few minutes of badass guitar solos later…*

{Do you think he liked it?{

[I don’t know… Maybe… I never did this with Sans, so… I wouldn’t know…]

“Wow. Never thought you’d like rock music…”

“I started listening to it in middle school. “’You will Know Our Names’ isn’t actually rock. It’s metal, but… yeah… ‘cause of this song, I started playing piano again. I started listening to more metal and rock music.”

“But what’s Xenoblade Chronicles? Sounds edgy…”

“Kinda… it depends on how you look at it…”

[Finally! You laughed! And not at one of Sans’ jokes!]

{Shut! Up!}

[Fine… that was a cheap shot…]

“Sans? How much do you know about technology?”

“Well I know what YouTube is. And smartphones.”

“Do you know about video games?”

“Oh man…” Sans starts to explain. “You have noooooo idea… Papyrus saw an ad for a racing game in a magazine. But I had to tell him we couldn’t play it.”

“Papyrus…?”

[Sans’ brother.]

“My bro. He’s really cool. I think you’ll like ‘im.”

“So Papyrus is a gamer?”

“Well he tries… He loooooves Portal. But ‘e wants to replace the cake with spaghetti…”

“I mean, I’d watch someone LP that game…”

“Yeah. As for me,” Sans sighs, “it’s not exactly my thing. I mean, we don’t have the technology to play most of them.”

“Most of them?”

“We can play older handheld games but that’s it.”

“Oh…” I feel just a bit disappointed…

“What’s wrong kid? Is it about Xenoblade? It’s not a handheld game?”

“No… it’s for the Wii. It came out… how do I put this? It came out in June 2010 in Japan, August 2011 in Europe, April 2012 in the United States, and April 2015 on the New Nintendo 3DS, so it’s technically also a handheld game. This video was uploaded August 2013, according to this world’s time. I just… have to…”

I start typing again.

[Wow… I never thought I’d hear Sans actually laugh so much… That’s saying something…]

“Auhw! Kid. This—is—great!” Sans can’t stop laughing. “So this is what Super Smash Brothers is like?”

“Only the newest one. Shulk is my main, actually.”

Sans composes himself a little. “So, you’re telling me you play as a guy who can see the future?”

“Yeah.”

[Oh my God yeeees!] *More incoherent laughter from Chara…*

{What!?}

“So…” Sans says slowly, “when you’re reading stuff in braille, you could say, ‘I’m really feeling it?’ Eh?”

“Oh… myyyyyy… Goooood…”

I follow Chara’s lead… “Why didn’t I think of this before???”

“But Pauline: this can’t be all, right? Shulk had to come from somewhere. Was it Xenoblade? And you were sayin’ lots of release dates. And since this was uploaded in 2013, then all the versions of Xenoblade you said exist except the last one. Shouldn’t ya look for that one, to narrow down the date a bit more?”

“Yeah that’s true. Okay I’ll go search again.”

After a bit more typing, my voiceover reads aloud ”Xenoblade Chronicles 3D Launch Trailer.”

“Yeeees! It’s after April 2015 here!”

“High five.”

I give Sans what he wants, trying ot to feel too… weirded out? Disturbed? By his hand literally being bony…

“Why’d you show me these trailers and not Xenoblade itself?”

I sigh. “The thing is… is that I watched someone play through Xenoblade before I did it myself. I just don’t know if he exists here…”

“Well no use in not trying right? And even if you can’t find the videos, you can still tell me ‘bout it. The story. The music. Ya know?”

“Yeah…”

{Dear Alvis I hope he exists here…}

[Yeah… I do too… from your memories, he seems like a cool dude…]

{Truuue…}

As I am about to begin the fourth YouTube search, my phone rings. “Hello? My child?”

“Yeah?”

“Are you all right? Is Sans there?”

“Yeah!” I put it on speaker. “Hey.” He says.

“I have fortunate news, my child! I have found you the correct iPhone charger. Although I do not know why its creator has tried deceiving me into believing I am a phone…”

“It’s a long story. It’s actually, very iOpening.”

“Wow…”

“Come on. You should have seen that coming…”

[“I see it!”]

“I see it!”

“Exactly…”

Sans turns back to the phone call at hand. “How much longer will you be out? Papyrus is probably looking for me.”

“You haven’t told him about me yet?”

“Heh heh. You’ll just have to meet him for yourself. Tori, how long will you be away?”

“Approximately another half hour. Forty-five minutes, if I encounter any mishaps. Have either of you eaten?”

“Oh shiiiit…”

“Not yet,” Sans says over my cursing. “don’t worry. At least if you’re gonna turn into a skeleton, it won’t be on my watch.”

“Oh thank goodness. You are in good hands.” Toriel sighs a bit, relieved. “If you are in need of anything else, do not hesitate to call.”

“Okay. Bye.”

“What are ya lookin’ for?”

“Please… dear Alvis please be here…”

My phone reads aloud, “Let’s Play Xenoblade Chronicles, Episode 1: The Battle of Sword Valley. Chuggaaconroy.”

“Yeeees! Yeeees!”

“Hey hey. Calm down. Why so excited?”

“Chuggaaconroy exists heeeeere!”

“Is he the Let’s Player you were talkin’ about?”

“yeah! He’s sooo awesome! He makes reaaaaally baaaaad puns!”

“Only I can be the judge of that. And, uh, Pauline?”

“Yeah?”

“Three things. One let’s eat—“

“But how can you eat? You don’t have insides and stuff…”

“Do you wanna find out?”

{Euwwwwww… Hey! What’s soooo funny?}

[Nothing… *Suppressed giggling*]

“We’ll bring the phone to the table. Second put it to full screen… my eyesight is pretty bad…”

“But… if you’re a full skeleton, you have no eyes…”

“Well I’m still better off than you…”

“Whauw whauw whaaaaauw…”

“And third: you said you’d let me use the slate and stylus. I’ll work on writing somethin’ while we eat.”

“Sure. To the kitchen!”

{Emile… since you’re here, it won’t be soooo bad down here… I think…}

[Does the thought of squeeing over Alvis’ accent in front of Sans fill you with determination?”

A moment’s hesitation. Nervousness about being so, open, in front of a complete stranger. Still.

{Yeah. It does.}

[Congratulations: you have just knowingly saved for the first time.]

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here is the link to Sans' theme, set to start at the appropriate timestamp:
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=emU2aoj8CIQ&index=11&list=FLmHGufMoIDktodLm1kSXITA#t=00m26s


	5. Chapter 05

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter has an obscure Xenoblade joke in it about the inventory... I'm sorry...
> 
> Also philosophy and feels... Hopefully, I can reach a point in this story where I can fully explain all the philosophy alluded to in here...

5

[Dear Alvis do you aaaaalwaaaaays sleep so late?]

{Yeah...}

[Even on school days?]

{Espeeeeecially on school days.}

[Whyyyyy?]

{'Cause I never have time to do everything I want during the day...}

[You mean you never had enough time to do what you wanted during the day.]

{Oh yeah...}

[Well... why don't you get up then? You don't seem tired.?]

{Ugh...}

*Incoherent groaning*

[Duuuuude...!]

{Whaaat?}

*Exasperation that doesn't need to be said... thought...*

[Like... duuuuuude... You have soooo much you can do right now. Help Toriel with braille? Buy more doughnuts? Binge watch Metaton's show? But you're like, you're like, staying in bed!]

{Sooo?}

I've never heard Chara so.`. indignant? Affronted? [Duuuude! You're missing out on sooooo much! How can you be sooo apathetic? There soooo much you could be doing but you're lying in bed, for Monado's sake!]

{I never get to do this back home. I'm always busy. I always have soooo much work. Like, you might think this is me being lazy, but this is how I'd want to spend some of my free time. If I had enough of it...}

[Hmmm,] Chara concedes. [I mean, you are... no; were... pretty stressed back then. At school, I mean. AP classes. College aps. Trying to learn to main Shulk without having a Wii U and having to use the shitty 3DS controls instead...]

{Oh Goood you have noooo idea what I'd do for a Wii U...}

[But you know, it's weird, thinking that everyone who's fallen down before you... they never made it to college. Hell; they never made it to high school. I could help them defend themselves against Toriel's attacks and not get lost in Waterfall. But I can't do a damn thing about college aps or SAT scores or anything like that.]

{Oh my God that's right isn't it? I'm the oldest human to fall down!}

Sadness between us that needs no words.

[Hey. Can we change the subject?]

{Uh, I guess...? To what?}

[You squeed soooo hard in front of Sans yesterday when you talked about Xenoblade...? Like, you only ate 'cause he told you. You--]

{I knoooooow. I... I was... I'm just so happy I met someone... modern. Like, someone who knew about Internet and Wifi and stuff...}

[Not everyone down here is so clueless you know.]

{I didn't mean it like that. I meant, like, Sans reminds me of the Youtubers I watch... watched...}

[Can still watch...]

{True...}

[So...?]

{I... I'm just so happy I met someone who I don't have to explain everything to.}

[Uh huh.]

Chara pauses. I sense them, thinking. [It's interesting... he usually isn't this cautious. And invested in stuff. He's lazy... mostly... but not cautious... not like this.] If Chara could speak aloud, they'd sound like someone muttering to themselves under their breath.

{What do you mean? He just seems hella chill. Maybe you could call him lazy...?}

[Him asking to take off his shoes and jacket and set them down in your room. He's never done that before. Not just 'cause he's never been here. He doesn't... didn't... act like that before around anyone else.]

{Well you keep saying blind people... monsters... don't exist here. And Toriel told Sans to be careful around me. Maybe that's what he thinks being careful is.}

[Yeah. It's just, disconcerting, to see him act like that.]

{Makes sense.}

[And yet you're still annoyed at him?]

{Yeah...}

[Just be glad Toriel's been open-minded about you. You don't know how lucky you are.]

{Are all the other monsters really afraid of outsiders?}

Chara doesn't reply. {Were the other children mean to them?}

Chara still doesn't reply. {But yeah you're right. I'm happy I met her, and you...}

A, surprisingly, cheerful, laugh from Chara. [Yeah! You wouldn't have anyone to meme with!]

{Ugh...} This time it's not a cringy groan.

[But one thing though.?]

{Yeah?}

[At least if you're gonna sleep in all day say hi to mom--]

{Whaaaaat?}

A hurried response. [Nothing. Just, let's say hi to Toriel at least before you go back to sleep... meaning going back to lying down and trying to fall asleep again but failing at it but not really feeling like getting up...]

{It feels soooo good to be able to sleep in all day.}

[Yeah I know. You're, like, seriously enjoying this.]

{I had to wake up at 6:30 in the morning for three of out of four years of high school. Hell; even in elementary school I woke up kinda early. I never got much time to myself. To do what I wanted to do. Here,}

As I lie in bed some more, wrapped in a monster's, blanket, I choke up. {This is my chance. To do what I want. Yeah. It's selfish but...}

I trail off. What can I say? {I want this. Weirdly enough I don't mind this. No Zanzadamned essays every week. No stress from hearing about other people's stress. No one treating me like I'm... less of a person...}

Sudden shock from Chara. [Wait really? That can't be a thing!?]

A mental guffaw. {Oooooh you have noooooo ideeeeeaaaaa... Just watch the news in Amurica--}

[Oh heeeeeell noooo!]

{Exactly.}

As I'm about to leave the bathroom, Chara suddenly suggests: [Bruh?]

{Yeah?}

[Take a fucking shower.]

{But I don't have spare clothes!}

[Go back to your room there's spare clothes in the closet.]

*A few seconds later...*

{Wow... Toriel's been putting in work!}

[Duh. Why wouldn't she? She trusts you. So much she went out and didn't wake you up!]

{Exactly like back home.}

[Nice. But yeah. Duuuude. Take a fucking shower!]

{I aaaaaam...!}

After a couple minutes of groping around in the shower, I call out, even though no one is around to hear. "Where's the shaaaaampooooo!?"

[Toriel doesn't have any of that stuff. Monsters don't need it.]

"But she's had people over why doesn't she have aaaany!?"

[How would she even make shampoo and soap? You need, like, lots of chemicals for that!]

"But there's someone who can make iPhone chargers! If you can make those--"

[No it doesn't work like that. You're gonna have to deal with it.]

"Wait... could I make my own soap?"

[Maybe. But if you're gonna do that pleeeeease take a shower first. You fuckin' need it.]

{Okay...}

After my shower, I am about to go back to my room, only to suddenly change direction so I end up walking toward the kitchen table instead.

Okay... it's Chara...

{Oh heeeell nooo!}

[Just see for yourself. Uh… wait…]

I stop, and my hand reaches out under Chara's control, my fingertips brushing a piece of paper on the edge. "Braille," I breathe.

[Read it then.]

My child. I apologize for leaving you alone. I wanted to notify you of my absence so as not to worry you. I will be performing some more errands and will not be back until evening. Sans will be stopping by once more around 1:00. He alerted me to the alarm he caused when he first arrived, so I have told him to call you before he reaches the basement door. I have left pie and hot dogs which Sans can warm on the stove for the two of you. As always, do not hesitate to call me if you are in need of anything. Be good resourceful one. Toriel.

"Hoooooly shiiiit sheeeee wroooote braaaaaile!?"

[Yeah! Told ya she's good!]

"But... she's only..."

[She's only been using braille for, like a day? Yeah. You're right. But she probably stayed up late getting it right.]

"For me...?"

[Damn right!]

"Oh my... Goood..."

Sudden wistfulness from Chara. [Told ya: she's dedicated. She's really something. She's the only reason I...]

Chara trails off. "Toriel's the only reason you what?"

[Nothing.]

I never thought Chara could sound so hurried...

[Well, don't just stand there. Let's see if we can make soap for you 'cause #FirstWorldProblems!]

... "Whoa... Are you for real?"

[You mean is Wikipedia for real? Yeah. It is. They don't have any of this stuff down here. So yeah... you'll have to go without soap.]

"Shit!"

[Be glad there are human showers here at all 'cause monsters only clean themselves for other monsters' sake. They can just magic off most dirt.]

"And what about a comb?"

[Toriel could order one--]

"Nah. It's okay. She already ordered me a phone charger. It must be hard to get all the stuff for that together."

[You sure? It wouldn't take too much effort to make.]

"I guess... but it'll have to be sturdy."

[Suit yourself. Maybe Toriel could cut your hair so you wouldn't have as much of a need for one.]

"Maybe. What time is it? And don't say Shulk or Reyn time!"

[Like, 12-ish. Sans'll be here soon. If you wanna binge-watch Youtube, at least stay in the kitchen to do that.]

"Okay."

... "Uh... literally what the fuck just happened?"

[Metaton's weird. Not exactly my thing but, quite a few monsters like him. And he has merch!]

"I'd buy that."

[I got you! I can hook you up later.]

... "I never thought I'd be so happy to hear Markiplier in my life!"

[Yeah. The monsters who have computers really like him. A lot wanna meet him if they get on the surface.]

"Why? 'Cause they wanna hear him freak out?"

[You mean freak out for real?]

"Oh yeah... Can they comment on his videos?"

[Uh... it's complicated?]

"How?"

[Posting comments uses different systems. They've tried, but... yeah, it doesn't work like that. They've tried sending comments in but everyone thinks the servers never get our stuff.]

"Heh... interesting. Uh, Chara?"

[Yeah?]

"How are you here? Like, you're in my head, but..."

[Are you asking if I have a physical body somewhere?]

"... I don’t know… maybe? Yes?"

A heavy weight fills my chest. It's... overwhelming melancholy. I'm a bit sad about what I left behind--okay maybe a bit more than that--but not like this. [It's a long story.]

"Oh."

It's Chara.

That's their overwhelming melancholy.

They're sad that... they don't have a body...

[Look. I can't really explain right now. It's for the best. You'd wanna hear it from... the ones affected most.]

Quiet sniffling, but not my own. [Can we watch something funny?]

"What do you have in mind?"

... ... "Oh heeeeell noooo!"

[Oh come on seriously!? I know you're thinking this subconsciously. Okay maybe not in Rick Astley's voice, but...]

"But like, this meme is sooooo old!!!"

[So?]

"Soooo!?!?"

[I've only heard of this from other people... meaning I've seen it in your memories...]

"But out of all--"

The Youtube video stops, my phone beginning to ring. "Hello?"

"Hey kid. I'm downstairs. You should find a key item outside the door. You can't lose it in your bag. And it's pretty big."

"Okay. I'm--"

[Wow...]

{What?}

[Oh heeeeell noooo!]

{Oh yeah...}

"Really??"

Another one of Sans' frequent laughs. "Oh come on. You laughed at it."

"I did and I can't believe I did..."

"Just like my bro. But yeah. Get down here. I have some things to tell you."

"Sure."

Chara has no need to direct me toward the basement. When I open the basement door Sans places my hand on his elbow. "Thought I'd do this whenever I saw you. Seems like it'd be easier on you."

"Thanks."

[Just thanks?]

{Like, I'm happy he's helping out. Toriel's nice but,"

[But what?]

{I didn't mean it like that. I mean, Sans is like, actually fun. And not just like my mom back home and stuff.}

[Then why don't you tell him? He'd really appreciate it!]

As we enter the kitchen, I decide, why not?

"Sans?"

"Yeh?"

"I, I'm really grateful you're coming here. I know you're supposed to be looking for humans... you must be putting yourself in a lot of danger."

"Neh, not really. I told you: I don't really care for capturing humans."

"Oh yeah."

"You seem down kid. Why's that?"

"Just... I'm the only college age human who's fallen down."

{Don't cry... don't cry... shit...}

Sans steers me over to my bed and wraps an arm around my shoulders. "It's--no. I can't say it's okay. 'Cause it's not. And no one down here can even begin relating to you, but, hey: you've already done a lot more than the other humans who've been down here. No one ever researched the Underground. Well, not like you have."

"I guess. But it seems no one else has had access to the Internet in their pocket when they fell."

"That's true. But still. One of the questions I have for you. Well had for you. I was gonna ask how much you know about the barrier, but,"

"Humans created it. Seven human souls are necessary to break it."

"You're right. There are six human souls. And you could be the seventh."

"Okay. What else?"

"What do you know about Asgore?"

"Asgore?"

"He's the king of the Underground. He lives close to the barrier. If you want to go home, you'll have to take his soul. And even if you’re going to break the barrier, you’ll have to take his soul so you could get away with breaking it yourself."

"Why? So I can combine my soul with the others to break the barrier?"

"Yeah. Kinda."

{No no no no no no no no no no...!}

"So how would I take his soul?"

"You know how. I know you're smart enough for that. Just think ‘bout all that philosophy you’ve been exposed to about how humans have a physical self and a consciousness. AKA a soul. Or The Matrix…"

"I... I... I have to kill Asgore?!"

"Yeah."

[If only you could see Sans' face right now.]

{He seems... so sad...}

[Yeah. Well a little more than sad but yeah. You're right.]

"Why are you telling me this now?"

"'Cause you need to know. 'Cause you have the right to know. Monsters will try to take it from you. And well, Tori told me to accompany you as far as I could. That at least if you have to fight Asgore someday, you might learn some things along the way. And who knows? I might be able to see something new."

"New. What do you mean? I know none of the humans who have fallen down have ever broken the barrier but--"

"Buddy."

Sans suddenly becomes stern. "I have to tell you some things. I've never told anyone them before. I've never felt the need to. I never thought anyone would understand."

"Not even Papyrus?"

"Especially Papyrus. You'll see when you meet him why this is."

"What is it?"

"Well. It's complicated. But I think you'll be able to understand it. But first: I wanna get back to Xenoblade. It's not quite my thing, but I can understand why you like it. Let's get in a couple episodes and eat lunch. I think gaming has helped me get my act together in this sense. It's... confirmed some things. I,"

He hesitates. "Well. One thing I noticed? You can save in the game after a fight but before a chest has been opened. It seems like a lot of games have that. Since it seems like quests can sometimes take a while to complete."

"Oh you have noooooo idea..."

[Ice cabbage flashbacks?]

{Yeah...}

*Shudder*

"And you could save in front of the chest and open it. And if it wasn't what you want you’d exit the game and come back. Then you'd open it again and keep trying."

{Oooooh, myyyyy?}

[Weird RPG tendencies?]

{Yeah!}

"So...?"

"This may seem weird but... from what Toriel has told me you're pretty smart. Your college education might help you understand this. That and you've gamed. And you’ve stayed in Tori's house a pretty long time. Believe it or not all the other kids stayed only a couple days, maybe a little more. They never had the chance to think about this.”

“About what?”

“I think the same thing, with saving and stuff, has happened here before. Is happening here. And, since you're here, will happen here some more."


	6. Chapter 06

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There are some... interesting... conversations in here, between Toriel and I and Chara and I. Also more feels...

6

"So... I'm gonna stay until Toriel can do braille better?"

"Yah. Then I'll introduce you to Papyrus. It'll be a moment worthy of putting on paper. It’ll get passed down to posterity."

"Oh man. He seems cool. He actually reminds me of Chuggaaconroy a little."

A short laugh from Sans. "You mean his puns...?"

"Duuude... I know right? But I don't know. Could Papyrus get a million subscribers?"

"If humans really like puns, then yeah. Well they seem to, so yeah. He could."

"Oh duuude... Like... if Papyrus were a Youtuber, he'd be like all the hammy Youtubers combined into one. Jacksepticeye, Chuggaaconroy, Marriland, all of them."

"They all like puns?"

"All of them. Like, they seriously market themselves as pun-lovers. Their reactions are really fun, and like, they're all hyper like Papyrus seems to be, so,"

"Yeah. And, from what I've seen, Emile still seems really smart at what he does. My bro, he's pretty smart. He could be really dangerous in capturing humans, if he wanted. I think he could handle knowing about the resets."

"Yeah. If you frame it like some huge puzzle he'd probably remember."

"Makes sense. But, one thing: how would we make sure he remembers?"

"Well since I'd be controlling the resets, I could save after we told him, so no matter what happens, as long as I soft reset, and even if I hard reset, he could remember."

"But here's the thing, resets do more than physically reset the environment. So if you were gonna tell him about the resets and saving, you'd have to tell him and then save so he doesn't forget. And made sure you didn’t hard reset."

"You're making it seem like saving and resetting don't affect people psychologically--"

"Oh I wish."

[You hit a sore spot...?]

{Yeah... true...}

"Basically: resets seem to affect memory somehow. As for how? I don't know.."

"Do you think we have access to research on memory? From, like, on the surface? I know we can't create content, but we should be able to access information."

"Already tried that. But what do ya have in mind?"

"There are studies out there about gaming improving memory. Maybe we can find more memory stuff. 'Cause, like, I don't know how memory works, but... there are humans who do."

[Hmmm. Interesting stuff. I guess it didn't matter I researched this before you came. Damn: I still wish I knew more college kids before I met you...?]

{I never thought I'd use this database searching stuff I learned like this...}

[Fair enough. So what are you guys gonna do?]

"Sans?"

"Kid?"

"Do you have a computer at home?"

"Of course. It's a little older than what's current on the surface, but... yeah."

"How good is your Internet?"

"It's good enough. Why?"

"Do you know about, like databases and stuff? Human scholars, like, post their articles there. There's, like, databases for lots of subjects. You'd have to look for psychology stuff."

"Yeh. And I've used 'em a ton. But... just to confirm: how would I know what to look for?"

"They have research guides online. As for accessing material, sometimes you have to pay for that stuff. Which sucks but..."

"You sayin' I have to get to that info no matter what?"

"Uh..."

[For the greater good?]

{If it means I can get out of the Underground then yes.}

"Yes. If you have to hack some things, then do it. If you know how. But only take what you need. And if nothing else you should be able to find stuff on YouTube and other non-scholarly web sites. Google Scholar should help a lot."

"Sure thing." Sans stands from the kitchen table, taking my arm. "I've gotta go. Papyrus is probably worried about me. And it seems like I'll have a lot to do."

"Damn right."

"How much should I take?"

"If you can get something for free that's good quality and relevant, take it. If you need to hack things, only hack into places where articles are stored. Or if you can get access to the one article you need, copy that information, then leave."

"I've tried learnin' 'bout this stuff without hacking but... guess that won't cut it anymore. Well. Looks like I'll be busy for a while. Don't be surprised if I don't come by for the next couple days. Maybe more. Just tell Tori I'm busy if she asks."

"But... when will we tell her about the resets?"

"We'll figure out how resets affect us. Then we'll know what to tell her. And how. Don't worry about it. Just treat it like another research assignment for school. That should keep stress down. This should be no problem."

We walk downstairs to the basement, stopping at the door. He pats me on the shoulder. "I'm routing for you kid."

He suddenly seems more, optimistic. "Kid: you have no idea how happy I am I can finally talk to someone about this. A couple of the kids who fell, they died before I could even get to them. And well: I can see, in how you speak, how your education's done good for you. You can say things well. You're good at figuring stuff out. You're using what you're learning. Monsters could learn from that."

"I guess. On the other hand you guys don't deserve the bullshit which is the United States education system. You guys need to learn stuff that people on the surface take for granted. And I can only help so much since I only have my phone to go look for stuff."

"You can talk about all that another time. Just... binge-watch all the stuff I showed you all right? That'll help you pass the time."

"Okay."

"See ya around Pauline."

"You too--"

*Cue Sans and Chara laughing, long and genuinely, before Sans closes the door.*

[Something I noticed: Sans never asked how you managed to get here without getting hurt.]

{True...?}

[Do you think he suspects me?]

{I don't know. Why?}

['Cause...]

Chara's voice... cracks... [He'll ask eventually.]

"And he'll... he won't..."

{Whaaat?}

A hand on my arm.

Fingers intertwining with mine as I take a seat at the kitchen table.

Someone's arm brushing my sleeve.

My phone being wrenched out of my grasp, the voiceover turning off.

"What--who?"

Clicking sounds of typing, and the soft piano notes of a familiar song.

**Play the song while reading, stop reading at the next note, then keep reading once it's over.**

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PGkPEDFRgng

{Cue the feels...}

"Look: I... I just think he'll find out eventually. And... I'm afraid..."

"... Chara?"

"Yeah."

"You're a Xenoblade fan! I knew Emile would pull through!!"

A light laugh. "Yeah. If nothing else I'm soooo happy you showed it to me. I'm sooooo happy you're here. To show me everything." They shudder and talk faster. [I... I won't physically be here for long. Maybe a few more seconds." Their hand leaves mine. "Just know this: you knowing how determination works is more valuable than you could ever know. Right now anyway." Their voice fades. "Who knows? Maybe you'll figure it out. Just..." [Stay determined!

[For both of us!]

**Stop reading, keep listening to the song until it ends, then keep reading.**

*Later that day…*

... "You appreciated my note, my child?"

"Yeah. That was hella cool!"

"I am glad I have satisfied you." Toriel's soft laugh. "Is there anything else I must learn?"

"A loooot... but we have time."

"Of course. But my child? It is late. You should go to sleep now. Or at least be ready for bed now."

"Yeah. Okay."

I stand from the kitchen table and turn around. "Oh yeah. Sans will be busy for the next couple days. He'll let me know when he's available."

"Of course. I will be working outside over the next couple days, so you will be alone all day, starting early in the morning. Do not be afraid if you wake up and discover I am not home. Good night, Pauline."

"Night."

... {Question? How did you...}

[Come out earlier today? Don't know. The only thing I can think of is that you wanna know about me. And you wanna have someone to talk to. Maybe... no. It can't be..."

{What are you...? Can't be what?}

"Just, I think I can help you a lot more if I'm in a physical form."

A quiet voice on the floor by my bed. Someone climbing up onto the bed, tugging on the blanket. "I think... if I can show up like this more, it'd help both of us. It'd make you less lonely. And it'd help me."

"Okay...?"

"I know you're confused right now but... we can practice it while Sans is gone, starting tomorrow."

"I... guess?"

"Night."

"Night Chara. And get your own damn blanket. Seriously..."

*The next day.*

... "Why must quotation marks share a braille sign with the question mark and 'was'.?"

"I don't know... but they, like, open and close, nicely..."

Shifting of metal discs on the table. "I suppose that is true. However I would think whoever invented braille would have taken this into consideration."

"Maybe he did... I don't know. That would have been the least of his problems."

"His problems?"

"Yeah. Louis Braille invented... braille..."

{Yeah I know it's redundant deal with it.}

[Duuuude...? I wasn't gonna snark about it... most likely...]

"Who is he my child?"

"He was, like a blind French dude who got his eye poked out when he was four? Five? Young...?"

"Oh my."  
[First? Wow. Second Toriel's covered her mouth in shock.]

{I can hear that…}

[Just making sure.]

"So he became blind?"

"Yeah. He, like, made braille so he could read stuff on his own."

"What inspired him to create braille?"

"There was a version of braille-ish writing with twelve dots first. It was a version of Morse Code--"

"Morse Code?"

{Shit.}

[Come on. Explain it. Or at least try to...]

"It's, like... you make letters with sound, usually. Some dude apparently made a tactile Morse Code. And Louis adapted it."

"I, I never realized how little I knew about the surface until you came."

{Whoa...}

[Yep.]

"After talking to you over these past few days, it's like I..."

Toriel takes a long, deep breath, like she's collecting herself. "It's like I never spent time on the surface at all... it's like I never saw anything."

"I mean, you lived in only one part of the surface. I don't know how long ago you lived up there, so... maybe you're right."

"My child... how am I supposed to protect you if you know more about the world than I do?"

"I... it's okay. I mean, I know it's not okay but... at least you know some things now. If I had stayed, this would have been my… second… or third… week of school."

A furry arm wraps around my shoulders. Then another. "Pauline, I am sorry, for acting so ignorant. I should not have expected you to--"

"It's okay. I mean, I know it's not okay but... at least you treat me like an equal. Mostly. And, well, it's okay if you call me 'my child'. Whatever you want. It's probably hard to call me anything else since you've... seen six children already..."

"Yes... that is true. Just, know that..."

Another long breath. "I believe in you, resourceful one. I know I must not get my hopes up but... I believe in you. I can see the differences between you and the others. Your education has conditioned you to cope with stress. It has kept you sane. It has stopped you from leaving."

"Like, I'll have to leave eventually."

"I know. But, at least Sans will be accompanying you."

"Yeah. He's really cool."

"Yes, yes he is..."

[Damn if only you could see her face right now.]

{I know. I can hear that much...}

[Right now, and when you said she’s seen six children before…]

Toriel stands, taking me with her. "It is late my child. You must get prepared for bed."

"Okay. Night."

"Love you."

{But I haven’t been here that long… How do I… Should I…? Is it appropriate to say… I still have a family…}

"… You too."

After dropping off my stuff and finding another set of clean clothes in my room, I step into the bathroom. When I walk into the shower, remembering I have no soap, and don't feel uncomfortable with it, I finally feel like I've found my place in the Underground... or at least, I'm well on my way there. I plan on sorting all the data Chara and I collected earlier that day when I’m finished. {I might be the only human down here but I'm not alone.}

No snarky response...

“Chara?”

Wait...

“Chara?” I ask aloud again.

"Where's Chara?"

I change clothes as quickly as I can. I enter my room and grab my phone and my new comb off the table where I left them when I went to take a shower. Inwardly I thank Toriel for going out shopping again today. I begin squeezing the water out of my hair, but as I flick the water away from me to one side,

"Jesus!"

{... Whaaat?}

"This is what towels are for!"

"Who the fuck--"

"You know who I am!"

"Wait... Chara?"

"Yeah! I've been here since you got your clothes!"

"But but but but but... how? I never asked for this!"

"Neither did Adam Jensen but that doesn't matter. I'm here... and I've been here about as long as last time. Earlier today, the last time you, summoned me here."

"You mean when we watched Mettaton try to--"

"Yeah yeah. Ugh... just... ugh..."

"Yeah..."

*Mutual shuddering sounds*

"You just had to tell mo--Toriel about Louis stabbing himself in the eye...?"

"Yeah..."

"Dude...! Like, seriously? Whyyyy?"

"'Cause it's true. And she, like, told me about the six human souls, so... like, it's only fair."

"Truuuuuuue...?" But yeah, uh, like, I checked the BrailleNote's battery, and, it's like, almost dead."

"How almost dead?"

"Like, under thirty percent almost dead."

"Shit."

"Well, like, if you wanna use it at some point you'll have to have Toriel take a picture of it so Alph--someone can make a charger for it."

"Okay. I'll ask Toriel--"

My hand jerks toward the table mid-sentence, first grabbing the slate-and-stylus, then a sheet of paper off of it. "Whaaat? Oh…"

*A couple minutes of poking holes into the paper and putting the note outside later*

"How long do you think you'll stick around this time?"

"Hmmm." Chara sounds much older than... they usually sound... all of a sudden. "Don't know. Maybe all night. Maybe another few minutes. I'll still be here, no matter what happens. Like, it's good I'm here, like this though. 'Cause I wanted to ask you a favor."

"... Sure."

"Toriel... she was right. She, like, doesn't know much... okay basically anything... about the surface. And..."

Chara gulps. "Neither do I. I... didn't get too far in school."

"How old are you?"

"It's... hard to explain but... I never learned American history. Not in middle school, not at all."

"Hooooly...!"

"Yeah. I learned about your school stuff from your memories. How you learned about American history in fifth grade. When you were ten? Eleven?"

"And in eighth grade."

I laugh. "And holy shiiit high school..."

"Those too. But... point is: Toriel and I don't know shit about the surface. So... could you... show us?"

{I... how do I...? how much...? What do I...?}

Chara touches my cheek. "I know you must be... really confused... okay maybe more than confused. Overwhelmed, maybe? I don't know I never learned about how to talk to people and stuff right! Just... look: you may not know everything about the surface but that doesn't matter. What matters is that you know about the surface at all. Hell, I bet you know more about it than everyone down here!"

"Even Asgore?"

Slight hesitation from Chara. "Even Asgore."

"Well... if you say so..."

"Trust me," Chara guffaws. "Once you load up Khan Academy and Crash Course for us, you'll know."

Chara hands me my phone. "Well... what do you wanna show me first?"

"I guess... Crash Course U.S. History?"

"The U.S. is America right?"

"Hoooooly shiiit..."

"Told you."

"Yeah they're the same."

Chara takes my hand and pulls the blanket onto our laps. "Can you start from the beginning?"

"As much as I love Obama for being a gamer I wouldn't start off with him first...?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Xenoblade main theme is sooooo pretty! Here it is again!
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PGkPEDFRgng
> 
> The information about Louis Braille is true, to my knowledge. I read a biography of him in late elementary school but haven't read about him since. To be fair, considering his history, it'd be hard for me to forget about him...
> 
> Also Crash Course is amazing. Their videos saved me in high school, so they're probably good enough for Chara. If you need U.S. history/psychology/physics/philosophy/literature/economics/statistics/astronomy/mythology/computer science/film help, or help for several other subjects, go there. They're amazing. Can't say that enough.


	7. Chapter 07

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prepare for more feels, politics, and Papyrus! Papyrus-related feels!
> 
> Also, finally! I'll be out of Toriel's house!
> 
> No offense to Toriel but still...

7

The next day…*

“Wait: so someone stole your cane? In first grade?”

“Yeah… I still can’t believe someone would do that. You have nooooo idea of how badly I’d want to find them and… yell at them…”

“Seems like you wanna do a lot more than that…” Chara’s voice sounds closer to me. They’ve probably leaned in closer to me as we sit on my bed.

“I… yeah…” I admit.

“No shame in hiding it. Everyone has the capacity for bad in them. It just depends on how much you embrace it.”

“Yeah… I’ve thought of that.”

“It’s not just a thought for you, isn’t it?”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean: you always have these, urges, to do or say, immoral things, but you know you could never get away with it. So you don’t do them.”

I sigh. “Yeah…”

“Keep in mind: down here, that mindset… probably isn’t the best thing. But it’s also not the worst either. Watching out for yourself and getting what you want: that’s not bad.”

“People always say it is.”

“That’s because those people don’t have the guts to do what needs to get done, when there is no other way. That’s because those people don’t want it enough.”

Chara lays their hands on mine. “But you do. You and I are… alike… that way. We’re both determined to do what we must. Or what we wwant.”

“People always tell me that I need to learn to advocate for myself. Frankly I’m tired of it. It’s harder than just asking. It’s like… ‘I couldn’t do this thing myself so I’m asking you to help me.’, you know?”

“Depends. If you ask everyone to do everything for you you might as well have your arms and legs cut off so you can’t go anywhere, do anything, without someone helping you.”

I laugh nervously. “I don’t know whether to cringe or laugh at that. But yeah, I get you.”

“You’re asking for things down here, but they’re things you could never get without help. That’s fine. Don’t worry about it.”

“I guess.”

“You’re gonna worry about it anyway?”

“Yeah…”

“I know. Just think: you’ve already survived longer than two of the children who fell down here. Just by not doing anything stupid! By realizing that the monsters have resources you can use to survive longer. Well some of them do. If you keep doing that, You’ll get out of here.”

“But… I have to kill Asgore.”

“Shhh. Think about that when the time comes. Now, can you… like… explain about why the colonists were sooooo pissed at the British again?”

“Uh… sure…? But I’m American, so… bias much?”

*The next day…*

… “So, why is it three-fifths, and not half…?”

“So the slaves could have some vote ‘cause the South wanted it, I don’t know…?”

“I mean why three-fifths, not one?”

{Oh shit…}

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing…”

“Doesn’t seem like it. You wouldn’t know this but you look, not very eager to tell me…”

“Yeah…”

“Why?”

I sigh. “It’s a long story…”

“Come on. We have time.”

“When I mean it’s along story I mean you literally would have had to have lived in the U.S. to get it so it will take too much time to just say it long story…”

“Oh…”

“Let’s just say the monsters down here would get it. Pretty quickly…”

*The next day…*

… “Is this how you write the number 201 my child?”

“Yeah! I don’t think you’ll need to learn to do it in Nemeth braille, so, yeah! You’re good.”

“And—“ Toriel pokes some more braille into the paper, handing me the sheet after a couple seconds, “is this how you write 201X?”

“Yeah. Nice.”

I can hear Toriel’s smile. “I am glad I have improved so massively my child. Just one more thing, before I prepare the house for Sans’ arrival. I will not be going out today, as Sans wanted me to stay. He had something to tell me.”

{Oh Gooood…}

[It’ll be fine. Sans can do it. Remember how he said--]

{Yeah yeah I do.}

[Good. Now, let’s see what he found online about mitigating the resets.]

… “Sans… this seems… rather improbable—“

“I know. But trust me: I remember them all. They’re like dozens of past lives. Your mind has suppressed them because, well: let’s just say not all of them were very cheerful. The mind intensionally forgets traumatic memories.”

“But I am a monster! This is only applicable to human memory.”

“If this were true then how do you think us monsters forget things? Why do you think us monsters need to use pneumonics to remember basic human facts, when we could just use magic to imprint them into our memories permanently? If there are any differences in how our memories work relative to humans, I haven’t found any yet.”

“I… you’re…”

Toriel takes a breath. “As much as I wish to say this does not match my experiences, it makes sense. I… sometimes have nightmares… or déjà vu. When I say or do things. But nowadays, it doesn’t happen at all.”

“That’s ‘cause no one like Pauline has fallen down before. There’s nothing to recur. Or very little to recur. And she hasn’t reset anything yet. By staying with you she hasn’t had the need to yet. But when she leaves, she will. Even if she’s with me she may have to do it.”

“So you want me to… use these memory exercises, to combat the resets?”

“Yeah. I found info on how memories are created, and how humans, and well, monsters, remember stuff. Resetting affects your ability to store memories, most likely. So when someone resets in the middle of you doing something, you may have encoded the information of doing that thing, but it wasn’t stored. So it’s just… floating around in your head. That’s also why you have déjà vu after doing something.”

“So when déjà vu occurs, I have remembered something that… already happened, that I do not properly remember, because I could not have properly remembered it anyway?”

“Yeh. And well: since Pauline has this, ability, I wanted to let you know.”

“But how did you realize she has it, if she has not reset yet?”

Sans doesn’t answer immediately. “I can just tell. They also didn’t seem too shocked when I first proposed it to them. So they must hav either thought about it or done it already.”

“So, you two will be safe then?”

“Yeah. She can just save somewhere safe, and if anything happens, she can just appear back there. No biggie. And I’ll be watching her. I mean, she managed to get here safe. Even through all the puzzles. She’ll be fine.”

“Well,” Toriel stands up, hugging me to her, “I will pack your bag. There is little point in keeping you here any longer. I have already become proficient in braille enough to give you notes. And I can always call you, and you can always call me.”

“Yeah. I guess.”

“Do not be sad resourceful one. I, I have hope for you. I realized you were different as soon as I lay eyes on you. I realize now how… vulnerable… the others were who fell down. You… may be like them in some ways, but not all of them. I am happy that this, reset,” Toriel speaks the word slowly, “has brought you to me. To all of us in the Underground.”

“I don’t know what to say…”

“You have no need to say anything. The knowledge you have bestowed upon us is thanks enough. I cannot thank you enough for, helping me see how close-minded I was. How, ignorant I was. But I digress. I will return in a couple minutes with your bag.”

As Toriel walks over to my room, Sans lays a hand on mine. “You ready for this kid?”

“I mean you’ll be there so… My main problem is Papyrus.”

“He can be a little, insensitive… well I think you might see him like that at first, but who knows? I think you two will get along. Especially ever since I showed him Xenoblade—“

“wait whaaaat!?”

“Yeah. He reaaaally likes Emile.”

“’Cause of the puns?”

“Oh yeah. He’s really feeling them.”

“Eh!”

“I have brought you your bag resourceful one,” Toriel calls out as she walks back over into the kitchen. “Well, it is a bag, not exactly yours. Because your backpack is much too small for what you must do. But I have packed your old bag anyway.”

I hear something being placed in front of me. “I have placed it in front of you.”

“Okay…?”

*A couple minutes of poking around later…*

“How would I wear this?”

“You drape it over your back and chest. It distributes the weight more evenly. It is also more, practical… than a backpack or a bag slung over across your body by themselves. The bag is actually two separate bags, so in time of need, you can detach one, so the other half will remain attached to you. And the bag prioritizes what you retrieve from its pockets depending on your circumstances, so you will not lose what you place inside it.”

She laughs. “At least, at first. You will have to condition the bag to give you what you want when you want. However I had it prioritize healing items, your cell phone, and money in the pocket your hands are on right now. I have placed a key to my house, as well as some food, in the pocket next to it, already.”

“Sweet!”

[Cue RPG hoarding tendencies!]

{Yep!}

“But how can it fit all this stuff?”

“Magic, resourceful one.”

“Oh yeah… I forgot that’s a thing…”

[You idiiiiiot!]

{Shut up!}

“I am surprised you have forgotten. Fire magic was how I forged the slate and stylus. And magic altering physical properties of objects is, rather commonplace.”

“Fair enough…”

“Actually, space-altering magic is how I have managed to fit all my books in my house. And all of your clothes in the back portion of the bag. Your old clothes are there, as well as some new ones. They require minimal effort to be washed, so you should be capable of managing them on your own.”

{Shit I have to wash my own clothes!}

[Come on I can help with that…]

{I know but… shit I have to wash my own clothes!}

“I have also modified your phone case and the phone itself. It will automatically return to the frontmost pocket if it is ever in danger of being damaged. The case will take any damage in its stead. Considering where you will be going, you will need this. Also, if absolutely necessary, the bag can act as body armor. Most pockets are actually pouches secured onto a fabric frame. When hit, they will detach. It can also keep you dry or shield you from high heat long enough for you to either escape, or… reset.”

“Hooooly shiiiiit This is awesome!”

Toriel laughs in delight. “I had an inkling you would enjoy it my child. I have also taken similar precautions for your cane. It will automatically return to the sheath on the right side if dropped.”

Toriel hesitates. “And if you ever need to arm yourself, there is another sheath on the front. I hope you will never have to use it but…”

Sans takes my arm. “Come on. We’re burning daylight.”

As I stand outside Toriel’s basement, Toriel hugs me one more time. “I know this may sound strange but, I am not as sad to know you are leaving as I was with the others. I was never presented with a situation where I felt confident enough to let them leave.”

“I know...”

“Just, know that if you need to, you can always come back. I did not do that with the other children but… I know you can handle it. That is why I gave you a copy of my key.”

As I grip Sans’ arm and start walking, I call Toriel goodbye over my shoulder.

“Just know: you will be the hope of the Underground. I am sure of it! I have never been so sure of anything in my life.”

After a couple minutes of walking, Sans says in my ear, “Wow. Tori seems real proud of you.”

“Yeah. I can’t believe she did all this for me. And I… I still barely even know her.”

“You can’t be serious.”

“I mean, I’ve only known her a little more than a week. How much can I learn from someone in a week? Especially a total stranger—“

“Kid.” Sans stops, letting go of me. “I don’t know how much of this you can pick up with just sound but, Tori’s never hidden anything from you. She’s helped you with all her strength. She,”

Sans pauses for a second from his position across from me, “She treats you like her own daughter. And well, having taken care of several other children before you, she knows what to do.”

“That’s true…”

“Come on. Lighten up. Now you can carry as much as you need in your inventory as you like! For all the collection quests…”

“I swear if I have to collect Ice Cabbages to gain people’s favor around here…”

Sans laughs. “Hopefully not. But wait heads up. Just brace yourself. You may wanna put on the thickest jacket and pants Tori made for you. I stopped here since there’s a bush you can change behind.”

“Why?”

“Just do it. If you wwanna get hypothermia, fine by me, but…”

“Son of a bitch you’re a skeleton. You don’t have to care about clothes!”

“And that’s why I live in Snowdin…”

*A new pair of pants and jacket later…*

I walk a few dozen steps forward, holding onto Sans’ arm once more.

“Fuuuuuuck!”

“Yeah. This place isn’t called Snowdin for nothing… Good thing Tori also modded your shoes so they don’t get wet…”

“Yeah…”

[Not a fan of the cold?]

{I lived in California! It never snowed where I lived! People were… are… weather wimps!}

[Oh…]

Sans grabs me and holds me close to him. “What why—“

“Shhh. My brother's coming. I’d say to stay calm but… we’ll see what he says to ya.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zt0Gc3Uc8So&t=179s

Listen until the monologue ends, which is when the music starts.

“SANS! I’ve been looking for you everywhere! What if a human passes through here?”

Sans lets go of me and pushes me forward a little bit. “You mean like this one?”

[He’s, like, pointing at you.]

{I guessed as much…}

We stand in the snow silently for a couple seconds.

“OH MYYYYYY GOOOOOOD! That’s a human right?”

“You can talk to her you know?”

“You’re a human right?” Papyrus asks, taking a few steps.

“Yess…?”

A few more seconds of silence.

[He’s, like, two feet in front of you…]

{Good to know…}

“YEEEEEs! Excellent!”

{Jesus… is he alwaaays this loud?}

[Yeah. He’s like Emile in that sense. You’ll get used to it. You got used to Emile…]

{Truuue…?}

Papyrus clears his throat and takes a deep breath. “Huuuumaaan?! You shall not pass this area! I, the Great Papyrus, wwill stop you—“

“But I got here just fine—“

“Nonsense!! I have completely halted you in your tracks without even setting off any of my puzzles!”

{Puzzles?}

[You could also call them traps…?]

{Oh shiiiit…}

“Now, I will get all the things I deserve! Respect! Recognition! I will finally be able to join the Royal Guard! People will ask to be my… friend?”

{Why he have no friends?}

[It’s… complicated… You’ll have to see for yourself…]

{…}

“I will bathe in a shower of kisses every morning!”

“Nice. Like every rapper ever…? Or like every rapper wants?”

“Pretty much!”

“SAAAANS! You haven’t even done anything! I have finally done the unthinkable! You would have just let the human pass right on through, even if they walked right in front of you! That’s how lazy you’ve become!”

“Hey! Sans isn’t lazy! He saved my butt from getting lost and bored!”

“Yeah. She’s right. I met her a while ago. I’ve, introduced, her to how the Underground works a little—“

“You mean the human’s been here this whole time and you haven’t even bothered capturing her!?”

“Capturing…?”

{Fuuuuuck!}

“Yes! Capturing! I will capture you! You will then be delivered to the capital. Undyne will… I’m gonna… I’ll be so popular! Then! Then, I don’t know what’s next!”

{Oh my…?{

[Yeah… he’s like Emile on steroids…]

“Well I have to get out of here somehow so…”

“Come on Paps let her through. You can prepare all your puzzles, like you’ve been saying the past few days. How else will she know how amazing they look?”

“Sans! The human can’t be so lazy she would not take the effort to look at my puzzles! Easy! She can just gaze upon them in wonder—“

“Uh…”

Someone’s hand grabbing my wrist… hard…

“Jesus!”

“Whaaat!? You doubt the glory which is my, the Great Papyrus’s puzzles?”

{Oh dear Alvis what do I say?}

[Just tell the truth…]

“No! I can’t see!”

“What do you mean you can’t see? You have eyes—“

“Bro…?” Sans sounds… a little stern… now. “She literally can’t see. The only reason she knows who you are is ‘cause I told her you’re my brother.”

“Is this—“ Papyrus begins to ask, before stopping for a moment. He takes my hand again, and…

{Jesus he’s strong…!}

[Yep!]

“Human? What happened to your eyes!?”

“Uh… I don’t use them…?”

“Do you even know what your eyes look like?” Sans asks.

“I know they’re all… milky and stuff…?”

“Yeah.”

“But this can’t be true! Humans always look at things! Look at me human. Please!”

“Papyrus…”

{Why do I suddenly feel so sad?}

[‘Cause this is the first time someone’s taken it so hard that you can’t see?]

“I can’t… I know where you are ‘cause you’re talking and, well ‘cause you’re holding me in the air. And I can turn my head and orient my body in your direction when you’re talking to me but, I can’t look at you.”

Papyrus puts me down. “so,” he says, much less, hammily, now, “you cannot gaze upon the glory which is my puzzles?”

“No. You could tell me what they look like though. But it’ll have to be good…”

A few more seconds of silence in the snow.

[Wow. I never thought I’d see Papyrus this, thoughtful.]

“Okay!” Papyrus shouts in my face. “I, the Great Papyrus, have come up with a solution! I will describe all my puzzles to you so you will not miss a single detail! It will be just like if you could see!”

“Thanks man.”

[Oh come on you like him already. Don’t lie to yourself.]

{I’m just glad he’s adapted so fast.}

“So, you’re gonna let her through?” Sans asks.

“Yes! Continue, but only if you dare! Gneh heh heh!”

Papyrus runs away laughing.

“I’ll make sure Papyrus doesn’t do anythin' too crazy. He doesn’t seem to have figured out that you won’t be able to do any of his puzzles, even if you know what they look like…”

“True…”

“Even so I think you’ll be fine. You’ve made it this far. Just, keep doing what you’re doing. I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s changing the puzzles entirely, just for you.”

“That’d be, cool…?”

“See ya soon.”

“You too.”

A short laugh. “Well, not really… But instead, we can just say let’s press on and on and on. How’s that?”

“You’re quoting Xenoblade!”

“Why wouldn’t I? I admire the puns. Anyway I better get going.”

After Sans walks away, Chara says, [Oh yeah: I’ll walk you over to somewhere you can use as a save point. Then you can witness the glory which is Papyrus’s puns. And maybe even his puzzles.”

“Yep! He seems cool.”

Chara leads me over a few feet, and my hands touch a… I don’t know what it is. {What is…?}

“This is a conveniently-shaped lamp!”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“it’d be… difficult to explain…”

“Okay…?”

“But does it fill you with determination?”

“I guess…?”

“Good. You’ve saved.”

[Now back to our regularly scheduled. Well now regularly scheduled. Craziness.”

{Sure.}

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here is the link to the Papyrus voice!
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zt0Gc3Uc8So&t=179s
> 
> Listen to the monologue until the music starts.
> 
> What I tell Chara about my school and personal life is basically all true... this is a younger version of me, after all.
> 
> If anyone wants any references regarding the information Sans and I discuss about human memory, I can provide it in these notes if they want.


	8. Chapter 08

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There are literature references in here that anyone below high school age may not understand... Good times...
> 
> Also determination theory allusions, symbolism, hip hop, and horror film references! At least!
> 
> Also I should have mentioned this earlier in the story's overall notes that any techniques I mention for Orientation and Mobility, AKA walking around without looking like an idiot, and accessibility technology, like the voiceover on my iPhone and the BrailleNote, are all real and are portrayed how I, or other people, would use them.

8

[Heh. Sans left us alone?]

“Yeah…? I’m confused too but… he didn’t ask if I needed him to come with me so… we take those.”

As we walk along, Chara asks about my, old life? Ongoing life? No longer my own but most familiar life? Most questions I cannot answer very well. How do you tell someone that teachers for blind people are rare? That I struggled doing math? That I hated the Commonap? They weren’t even in middle school yet!

[Look man I can tell I’m just… flustering you… right now--]

“It’s fine.”

[You don’t sound like it is.]

“*Sigh…*”

[I… I don’t mean to be intruding or anything but, it’s hard not to, when I’m literally in your head 99% of the time. You, like, have no privacy in here.]

Sudden curiosity.

“Chara?”

[Yeah?]

“What’s it like, to know what I think? Is it like hearing me talk? Telepathy?”

“Hmmm… I, can’t describe it, not really. It’s like, if I did it wouldn’t be exactly right, no matter what I did. I’d say it’s like having a Bluetooth earpiece in your ear all the time but, you could remove that. It could break. I’d say it’s like walking or standing behind you all the time when you talked to peo—monsters, but… that’s creepy.]

“Truuue…?” I laugh a little.

[And I can’t say you’d know it when you saw it ‘cause…]

They trail off, expectantly…

“Whauw whauw whaaaaauw…”

[Yeah… it’s impossible to describe… But there is something coming up that I can describe. It’s a box by the side of the road!]

“Heh?”

[Like, literally! I never had a reason to use one but…]

“Use one?”

I turn sharply off to one side, Chara presumably leading me over to it. I bend down, lifting the metal lid and reaching my hand inside. “A glove?”

[A Tough Glove.]

“So you’re expecting me to wear one glove?”

[Yeah…]

“Is there a pair—“

[Nope. Never saw one. They didn’t use a second one—]

“They?”

[Yeah. This glove, it belonged to the second child who fell down. I don’t know why it’s here in this box, ‘cause he made it a little farther down the road, but…]

“So you’re asking me to wear a dead kid’s glove?”

I hear a slapping sound inside my head. [Zanzadamn it! You’re right…]

I close the box and turn back toward the road under my own power. “All that’s left is to make this a baseball glove with poems written on it which belonged to my beloved dead younger brother, and then you can call me Holden Caufield.”

[Who the--]

I sigh. “Oh yeah… you never read Catcher in the Rye…”

[What’s that?]

“A book ‘bout an angsty kid who loved reading but kept getting kicked out of school ‘cause he kept skipping class and getting in fights and ‘cause he thought everyone was phony…”

[…?]

“Yeah it’s weird… but I liked it. That was in junior year of high school. It’s really popular… on the surface… where I came from… maybe both.”

[Why?]

“’Cause it’s about an angsty teenager who’s smart but isn’t fit for school…”

Chara abruptly laughs harshly, like something out of a teen drama flick. [I think I could have been one of those kinds of kids…]

“I don’t think it’d be that bad. You’re snarky sometimes but—“

“—you’re so lazy! You were napping all night!”

“I think that’s called sleeping…”

[“Eh…”]

“Excuses excuses!”

“No johns,” I mutter under my breath, and subsequently, a wave of confusion sweeps over me, even though I know what no Johns means…

Oh…

{It’s a Smash thing…}

“Oh!” Papyrus stomps over to me and starts yelling.

[He yells all the time… to him it’s just talking…]

“The human arrives! In order to stop you, my brother and I have created some puzzles. I think you will find this one, quite shocking!”

[“Shit!”]

“You can’t be serious!”

“Oh yes I am! You see, this is the invisible eelectricity maze! When you touch the walls of this maze, this—“ a ball of… something… plonks down onto my arm, only to fall to the floor. I bend down, scrabbling my hands across the ground, trying to find it.

I eventually pick it up, and Papyrus continues ranting. “When you touch the walls of this maze, that orb will deliver a hearty zap!”

{Wait…}

[You’re on the right track… just… hang in there…]

“Sound like fun?” Papyrus asks, a little too enthusiastically…

“Uh…” I begin to respond.

“How dare you interrupt me! I had not even finished!”

“Sorry...”

“Well, let’s just say the amount of fun you will have is actually very small I think!”

“Oh dear…”

[Come on I know you got this. When you touch the walls while holding the orb, the orb will shock you. So, you…]

I unfold my cane and place the orb on the ground. I start to walk forward, and it doesn’t take long for me to hit a wall, which is presumably invisible. I walk along it for a while, making sure not to divert away from it. After a few more seconds of walking, my cane stops coming in contact with the wall…

Heavy footsteps crunch in the snow behind me. “Incredible! You slippery snail, you solved it so easily! Too easily!”

“Wel, the orb was gonna shock me, I ditched it…”

“How dare you not respect my puzzles! That is not how this puzzle is supposed to be solved!”

“You mean I wasn’t supposed to not get hurt like that… I mean, you made it! Why’d you even include an orb? Why not just make the walls electrified and invisible?”

Papyrus huffs. “Fine! You do not respect this puzzle—“

“I don’t mean it like that—“

“No matter! The next puzzle will not be so easy!It’s designed by my brother Sans! You will surely be confounded! I know I am. Gneh heh heh!”

I stand there awkwardly for a few seconds, expecting Papyrus to continue talking or him to lead? Drag? Me to the next puzzle, but he just storms away. “Heya.”

“Holy shit!”

Sans ignores my outburst. “Thanks for that. Seems like my brother’s having fun. Isn’t he cool?”

“Uh… if you mean a substitute for Jigsaw from the Jigsaw films, then… yes…? He’s pretty cool…?”

Sans chuckles shortly. “I don’t know who that is, but, they don’t sound pleasant…”

“Oh you have noooooo idea…”

“Why? Am I right?”

Sans shuffles forward a couple steps and pats my shoulder. “Come on. You can tell me who they are…”

I take a breath. “Well… let’s just say he would make traps representing people’s flaws and force people to try escaping from them.”

“Well, that’s not exactly what Papyrus does but, yeah. I get it. But why not just say it?”

“He’s… not very nice. Well he, may be…? Nice…? But… he’s, not Papyrus nice.”

“A nice person who does mean things?”

I hesitate. “I’ve never watched the Saw movies myself. I’ve just read about them. They’re… pretty violent… and controversial…”

“Not like that would matter for me. I’ve seen worse.”

{Whoa Sans though…?}

[Take his word for it. It’s a… long story…]

{Chara? You’re, like, not sounding the same. You’re all, like, serious, again. Is there anything wrong? Is my comparison offensive?}

[Nope… just…]

A mental sigh. [Just, I’ll tell you. Okay? Just, not now… It’s not the time.]

{Okay…}

“”Will you be okay kid?” Sans asks. “There are some ice puzzles ahead, and I’d hate to see you slide away like Shulk on Valak Mountain.”

{Whaaaat?}

“Hooooly shiiiit you gooot theeeeere?”

[Well that changed quickly…]

“Yeah. I binjed on Xenoblade the past few days.”

Another laugh. “For once Papyrus is right. I slept in the past few days. And I would’ve done it again today if he hadn’t dragged me out of bed.”

“Oh dear Alvi—Jesus the ice puzzles physics…”

“Yeah. I realized, the ice around here is pretty similar, so… will you be okay?”

“I mean, if I really need to, I can save before the puzzle and reset if I get hurt or fuck up.”

“You don’t have to go that far. The puzzles have reset mechanics built in. But if you feel safer saving before each one, go ahead. Just don’t reset unless you absolutely need to.”

[Well this got serious quickly… again… Well I’m not surprised.]

{What do you mean?}

Chara doesn’t answer.

“I’ll be on my way then. Good luck.”

[Dude, put your cane away.]

“Why?”

[‘Cause there’s a puzzle ahead I think you’ll… appreciate…]

“Appreciate being…?”

[It’s a game of snowball miniature golf…?]

“It’s not miniature golf! It’s golf in miniature!”

[Let me guess: another reference I won’t get?]

“Well… maybe you could have gotten it… the show it came from was meant for preteens. Even though teenagers and grown-ups would be able to appreciate it the most…”

[But you wanna try?]

“Sure…?”

[If you play you get gold--]

“You could have just told me that…”

[Okay. Just… walk forward. The ball is about chest height right now. I’ll tell you where to push it.]

“So it’s clubless golf in miniature…”

*One attempt later…*

[Damn your legs are short!]

“Well excuuuuuse meee for being Asian—wait shit you wouldn’t know about the—“

[Well, think about it like this. Even when we felt trapped by the limits of your body, we figured it out and got it in. And we got 2 gold, so… not bad. Not bad at all. You wanna try again? We can keep playing to get more free stuff…]

“Okay… But we should save here first…”

[But why?]

“In case we screw up…?”

[Well yes but, how badly do you wanna get the free stuff?]

“Reaaaaally badly. We, like, only have 150 gold…”

[Does this desire to get the free stuff fill you with determination?]

“Yes.”

[No hesitation. I like that. Then, let’s do this.]

*The second unique attempt later.*

[The ball is small now. But standing still, we waited for this opportunity. Then we dethroned the ball with a sharp attack.]

“Bit of a weird way to say it…”

[But it’s true… That’s how I thought of it.]

“I guess…?”

I hear the tinkle of gold falling into my front bag’s most easily accessible pocket. [Reach inside and see how much there is now.]

“There’s… twenty gold… This will take forever!”

[Well we have forever…]

“Truuue…?”

*The third unique attempt later…*

“How’d we do?”

[Well, I realized something,. You’ve figured out the course by muscle memory now. The first time, you just kept pushing it, no matter whether the ball was going the right way or not.]

“So?”

[This time, it worked. I realized you are the kind of person who rushes fists-first through all obstacles. And for it, you got five gold.”

I confirm this is the case, then we move on, counting out what we’ve earned. “We have, like, seventy-two gold now. Why do you want me to keep going?”

Chara sounds, excited. [Let’s just say it’s an easter egg. I was the only one who could get it to work but… maybe you can, since I’m here…]

*Fourth unique attempt later…*

“How’d we do?”

[Really well.] Chara can’t suppress their glee. [Bravery. Justice. Integrity. Kindness. Perseverance. Patience. Using these, you were able to win at the game. And check your pocket.]

I reach inside, and feel a heavy stack of coins touch my hand. “Whoaaa!”

[Yeah! That’s fifty gold, just from winning that one time. That was our fastest time yet. It was fast. And the ball didn’t even shrink that much.]

“So if I keep playing like that I can keep getting fifty gold?”

[No…? Every time I’d play it I could only get it in like that once. Afterward I’d only get ten gold.]

“Well… I want this. Like, really bad. Like, if I don’t get this I won’t have any other easy way of getting money and I don’t know how job applications work down here really bad…”

[Okay…]

I walk back to the start of the course, stand quietly for a second, take a breath, and then push the ball with both hands as fast as I can, leaning my body to match the curves and sharp turns on the course. I make sure my hands and feet, not the ball, touch the boundaries, since Chara told me several attempts ago that the ice surrounding the course would melt the ball a little on contact. As the ball falls into the hole, the same size as it started, I can’t help but feel hyped.

“Yeees!”

Most importantly, I hear a loud clink from in my front pocket. I reach inside and feel the same equally tall stack of gold appear there. “Yeees! I gooot it biiiitcheees!”

[Wow.] Chara sounds… a little more than surprised. [I never thought of that. I never thought you could use determination to, wish? Conjur? Stuff out of mid air like that…]

*Several more determined attempts later…*

[You satisfied now? We have, like, 500 gold! I think we’re good…]

“But when the hell will I come back here?”

[Good point, but still. Seriously I don’t even know how long we’ve been standing here doing this…]

“Fine let’s go… but where?”

[We’re turning off the road again soon. Then—shhh!]

I stop walking for a moment, and hear two? Three? sounds.

Two of them are Sans and Papyrus from somewhat far away. Papyrus is laughing, and Sans sounds… bored…

The third is…

[Don’t panic you got this.]

“Why?”

I fly off the ground, the third sound coming closer. {What’s--}

[That. He’s? They’re? a Snowdrake. He likes puns.]

{Sweet!}

[Just… pun at him. You’ll be fine.]

I clear my throat and call out, “I heard you’re a pretty cool person…”

{Ugh… that was baaaad…}

[I’d agree with you but snow bullets!]

I jerk backward in midair, but not quickly enough, as a bullet hits me in the arm. I somehow manage to grab it out of the air, and awkwardly float there a second as it melts in my hand.

“It’s okay. Chill out man!” the Snowdrake calls back.

“Oh you didn’t just…” I mutter under my breath…

[Oh he did. And you’ll have to come up with a couple more if you wanna get out of here… And if you wanna console him, laugh at his jokes like a normal person…]

I oblige. “Duuude… you should take a chill pill and stop attacking me!”

“Hey! For me, ice puns are snow problem to make!”

He continues to hurl ice bullets at me, my health slowly widdling away down to fourteen from its twenty. [Healing item time?]

{But how will I know it’ll come out of my bag right?}

[Trust me!]

I place my hand on the front pocket of my bag, and fortunately, a piece of the Monster Candy appears in my palm. [Eat it!]

{Okay—Jesus! I’m at twelve!}

[Eat it whole! Trust me I did it and I was fine!]

{But how do I know that you guys aren’t made different from me? People can’t eat--}

[Just! Dooooo! Iiiiit!]

{Okay…}

Apparently, Chara is right, since when the candy touches my tongue, it dissolves, wrapper and all. [You can just chuck it in your mouth. Monster food is mostly magic, so you can’t choke on it…]

{Okay…?}

[Also, bad pun time?]

{I knoooow…}

“Hey Snowdrake?” I ask.

“Yes. You have a bit of advice?”

“Well I have some for you. You shoulda been the third rapper on “Straight Outa Kompton,” ‘cause you’re the real Icecube!”

Snowdrake hovers there for a moment, confused, but he starts laughing soon enough. “Nice one! I’ll make sure to live up to him. He’s pretty cold-blooded!”

“Well, most rappers are like that in public, so… I spare you—“

Snowdrake flies away, and I drop to the ground. [And more gold!]

{Yep!}

[Let’s go! We’re close to Snowdin Town! Just a little more! Keep at it!]

We walk toward the skeletons’ voices, and soon, we hear them arguing? I don’t even know anymore… about a puzzle.

“Human! I hope you’re ready for the next puzzle!”

“I swear… what’s next: a pit of toxic waste that only burns my skin off if I move using my legs?”

“No! Sans made it! Now, behold!”

A few awkward moments later…

“Saaaans! Where’s the puzzle!?!?”

“it’s right there. On the ground. Trust me. There’s no way they could get past this one…”

“Oh shit…”

“Don’t worry. Just walk forward and you’ll find it. It’s on the ground.”

I drop to my knees and crawl forward cautiously, feeling for any unusual markings on the ground. I eventually find some raised, compacted snow, and follow it, trying to discern its shape. I eventually reach some snow that… feels different… from the rest.

[Duuude?]

{Yeah?}

[Whoa… feel it! Well crawl a little to the left then feel it!]

{Hoooooly shiiit it’s braille snow?!?}

[Yeah. Read it!]

Hey! Can you help me solve this puzzle? Find all the words below:

Backslash Slit Edge Sword Drive Battle Soul Summon Bolt Gale Slash Butterfly Step  
Ice Cabbage Dance Apple Ether Cylinder Cylinder Gauge Blossom Dance! Mind Blast  
Jump! Speed! Shield! Buster! Smash! Purge! Streeeeeeeam Edge! MALLC

{Wait--the fuuuuuck???}

[It’s the key to a word search… or it seems like it, based on your memories…]

{If we read the rest of the ice maybe we’ll find them…}

[Yeah… let’s do that…]

{Chara? You don’t sound so sure…}

[It’ll be fine. Be glad Papyrus didn’t make the toxic waste pit puzzle on the spot…]

I crawl back to the beginning of the puzzle and begin feeling for more snow braille… only to find none.

After a few more minutes, I stand up and ask to no one in particular, “What the fuck is this puzzle!? It’s a word search, but there’s no words!”

“Saaaaans! It didn’t do anything!”

“You call me crawling on the ground to solve a snow braille word search nothing!?”

“I knew I shoulda used today’s crossword instead.”

“Oh heeeell noooo! Crosswords are a pain in the—“

“Crossword? I can’t believe you! In my opinion, Junior Jumble is easily the hardest!”

“Junior Jumble? Doesn’t sound hard…”

“What? Really? Duuuude… that’s easy peezy word scramble. That’s for baby bones…”

“Whauw whauw whaaaauw…”

“Huuuuman! Solve this dispute!”

{Uh…}

“I mean… if Junior Jumble is scrambling short, but obscure words, it could be hard…?”

“Yes! Humans must be very intelligent, if if they also find Junior Jumble so difficult. Gneh heh heh!”

“Duuuude… like for real though, crosswords are a pain in the ass… because Spanish homework…”

*Shudder…*

Again, Papyrus storms away. Sans crunches toward me this time stead of appearing near me like Alvis being a stalker…

“Hey. Thanks for saying Junior Jumble just to appease my brother. Yesterday he got stumped ‘solving’ the horoscope—“

“Well if he couldn’t figure out which sign he was, I suppose he could solve it…?”

“Not like those things really tell you anything valuable about you anyways.”

“They, like, say something general enough you can accept it, ‘cause people look for things that already match them.”

“Like I’d ever find anything relatable in there. No human has ever gone through what I have...”

[Whoa…]

“I… I guess… ‘cause you can remember the resets but no one else can… I’d say sorry but… yeah…”

“It’s okay. It’s my fault. FYI, Snowdin Town is to the east of here. It’s not far. You want me to help you get there? ‘Cause Xenoblade ice physics…”

“Yes pleeeease!”

“You can use magic to ski without skis?” I shout as we skid along the ice.

“Yeh. Pretty much. We’re not that heavy combined, so…”

“Fair enough.”

[Waaaaaait! Stooooop!]

{Whyyyy?}

[Saaaave poooooint!]

“Saaaans! Stooop!”

“Where?”

[Tell him to stop at the tables!]

“Stop at the tables!”

Sans laughs all of a sudden. “Sure kid.”

We slide a little more, then eventually stop. I reach a hand out and feel a, table?

[Knowing the mouse might one day find a way to heat up the spaghetti... It fills you with determination.]

{Heh?}

[It’s like the cheese and the mousehole… except your hand is next to a frozen plate of spaghetti and a microwave with all the buttons changed to say spaghetti, and a mousehole near here, and a note!]

{Heh?}

“Heya. There’s a note here for you. Want me to read it?”

“Sure…?”

Human! Enjoy the spaghetti. Little do you know, the spaghetti is a trap, meant to entice you! You’ll be so busy eating it, that you will realize you are not progressing! Thoroughly japed again by the Great Papyrus! Gneh Heh heh!

“Wow… just… I can’t even… why would he believe the spaghetti would…?”

“Spaghetti’s his thing. It’s like… most humans on the Internet and bacon—“

‘Baaaacoooon!”

“Exactly. He always cooks spaghetti at our place. So get used to it.”

“Not like I’m complaining I ate good spaghetti at my house.”

“You should give Paps some tips. He’s been taking cooking lessons from Undyne—“

{Dear Alvis…}

“Undyne?”

“Yeh. The head of the Royal Guard. Why?”

“Oh nooooo…”

“Don’t worry. Paps sees her every day. I’ll make sure he doesn’t spill the beans about you till you’re ready.”

“Sure…?”

“Oh yeah also: we’ll be sliding over some rougher snow ‘cause it’s covering up the solution to the next puzzle. I’ll be slowing down—“

“Jesus what the—“

Loud noises…

[I was wondering when we’d encounter them…]

“Who…?”

“Oh. Them? That’s Dogamy and Dogaressa. Two Royal Guard members.”

“Two dogs?”

“Yeh. So?”

“So Asgore trained attack dogs to hunt humans?”

“Basically.”

As the dogs’ barking becomes progressively louder, Chara warns [Hey I know you wanna nope the hell out of here but their attacks involve not moving. You can’t—]

{Don’t care!}

“Sans?”

“You wanna slide away from here?”

“Yeeees pleeeeease!”


	9. Chapter 09

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yaye capitalism and Papyrus giving good directions!

9

As Sans increases our speed, the barking follows us. I hear grinding sounds in front of us after moving several dozen more feet. [You guys slid on top of a switch to retract some spikes. And you’ll have to do that again soon except you’ll have to slide? Step? On some tiles while doing it. You should have Sans stop so you can do that.]

“Kid? There’s an Xoxo puzzle coming up. I’ll stop a couple feet from it. You just have to walk on the tiles. Then we can keep going.”

“But what about the—“

“Dogamy and Dogaressa? They’re far away enough, it’s fine. Just walk straight.”

I’m happy to oblige. As I step off the last tile, my heel presses a switch down, and the familiar grinding sound of retracting occurs. Sans touches my hand to his elbow again, and we continue skiing? Sliding? Away from the two dogs…

 

Who are still following me…

“Fuuuuck why are they still following me!?”

“They smell you. But don’t worry they’ll probably give up soon. You’ll know when.”

“Probably?”

“Saaans!? What are you and the human doing!? Saaaans!?” Papyrus demands as we slide past him.

“Papyrus fuck off dogs are chasing me!” I yell at him.

Papyrus replies, now sliding alongside us, “But I have been waiting here for you! I wanted to know whether I japed you with my spaghetti!”

“No time for that! Later!”

“But I have modified the next puzzle for you! While you solve it, you can tell me about your reaction to my clever jape!”

“Laaaater!!”

“But this puzzle looks—“

Papyrus stops, then continues, “I mean feels like—my face! As you attempt to solve it, you will grow to appreciate how highbrow I am!”

{Oh heeeeell nooo he didn’t!}

“Dude not funny!”

“You will not know until you try solving it!”

“Calling things ‘highbrow’ is racist! And fine I’ll try it. But if the dogs come over here it’s all your fault!”

“Very well. Saaaans! Make sure the dogs do not come over here! I will instruct the human!”

“Okay.”

Papyrus walks away a few feet and proceeds to yell instructions at me. “Human! Walk to the left!”

I do as he says but feel no tiles under my feet. “But I don’t feel any tiles! You mean the right! You’re facing me so it’s to the right not the left!”

“Just walk on it while holding onto her.” Sans calls out. “That’s what I did for the Snow puzzle.”

“Papyrus crunches back toward me. After a couple seconds, he loudly asks while facing me, “Human! How did other humans give you directions!?”

“Depends…?”

“Would they do what I did!?” he presses.

“No… they’d… use cardinal directions or the positions on a clock—“

“Okay! Human, I will stand at the end of the puzzle and give you directions! Is this suitable?!”

Sans advises, “Yeh. It should be. As long as you don’t confuse three and nine o’clock.”

“Also as long as you’re not too far away for me to hear you over these fucking dogs!…!”

“Saaaans! You were not the one to find this brilliant solution! Now watch and learn!”

Papyrus walks away again and begins yelling, “The first tile is at seven o’clock, in… two Sanses!”

“You mean feet?”

“No! I mean two of Sans lying down! Because he does this more often than standing on his own two feet!”

“{[Whauw whauw whaaaaauw…]}”

“I’m four feet ten, or 1.27 meters, if you’re into that.”

[Why are you soooo embarrassed all of a sudden?]

{*Sigh…* ‘cause Sans is short but still taller than me…}

“Okay.”

“You will soon feel the edge of the tile with your foot!”

… “The seventh tile out of fifteen is at two o’clock in one-and-a-half Sanses—“

“You mean… uh…”

“Basically seven and a half feet…” Sans supplies.

“Precisely!”

… “Alrighty! Are you ready to step on the final tile!?”

“Yeah.”

“I am standing behind it! Human, follow my voice!”

“I can hear you just fine—“

*Cue Papyrus quoting Xenoblade characters obnoxiously loudly…*

As I step on the last tile, Papyrus grabs me by the back of my bag, hoists me into the air, and wraps his arms around me. “Huuuman! I, the Great Papyrus, am proud of your accomplishments! Now we may proceed—“

“About that bro? The dogs are almost to that Xoxo puzzle behind us. If we wanna get home ASAP, we better split. And Pauline was holding onto—“

“Nonsense! I can guide her much better than you can! I saw you slide over here! How dare you not let her try my spaghetti!” Papyrus begins sliding along, still holding onto me.

“Dude it was frozen to the table!”

“That is no excuse! I prepared that spaghetti especially—“

“Fuuuuck what’s happening?!”

“You’re sliding around another puzzle. Paps is really proud he came up with it but he’s skipping it for the sake of time.”

“Mark my words human, we will return to this puzzle in the future! You must be japed by—“

“Uh, bro? You may wanna pick up the pace.”

More barking, but much closer this time…

“Oh no…”

[Yep. That’s Lesser Dog…]

{Now there’s three dogs chasing me!?}

[Yeah…]

“Why are you so afraid human? I, the Great Papyrus, will protect you! And besides: they are fellow Royal Guard members! They are admirable—“

“But you’re not in it yet…” I point out.

“Well I might as well be!” Papyrus retorts as we slide ever faster on the snow. The snow soon turns to ice as Sans calls out, “Paps is helping you get through the last Xoxo puzzle. He’s pressing the tiles down as you pass by them.”

“Thanks!” I try my best to turn around to thank him, but I fall out of his grip in the process, skidding along the ice for several feet on my side.

In the midst of my slide, I am suddenly wrenched into the air by the back of my bag and my ankles so I am on my back instead. “Oh myyyyy Gooood!” Papyrus’s voice sounds from near my head. “Human! Are you okay! I did not intend to let go of you!”

“I-i-i-it’s f-f-f-fine. J-j-j-just… c-c-c-c-cold… t-t-t-that’s a-a-a-all…”

“You’re not hurt. That’s all that matters.” Sans reassures me from near my feet. “Come on. We’ll both hold onto you as we slide into town. I bet the shopkeeper and Nice Cream guy will think our entrance is real slick—“

“Sans!” Papyrus, reprimands, Sans. “This is no time for puns! The human is hurt! And you make fun of how she fell!? How dare you! You are tarnishing the reputation of us skeletons! I, for one, am a skeleton with standards!”

“I didn’t mean it like that.”

The two skeletons prop me up between them with magic, Papyrus grripping my right arm tightly to his side. Sans presses his right hand to my shoulder. “We’re crossing the bridge into town. We’ll get you all warmed up in the Snowdin shop. Then we’ll figure out what to do next.”

“Sure!” I shout over the ever-louder barks of the three dogs. As the rock beneath my feet turns back into snow, the back half of my bag rips off, aggressive barking accompanying it.

“Yooooou!” Papyrus screams. “Why you little—“

He quickly lets go of me and sprints back the way we came. “How dare you attack the human like this! At least I will announce when I am attacking them! And she is also blind! She did not even know how far behind her u were!”

“Whoa he’s pissed…?”

“Yeah.” Sans seems, surprised. “I didn’t expect that. But he’ll get your pack back. Just give it time. We’re only a few dozen feet away from the shop anyway. Can you walk it?”

“Yeah. Thanks for all that—“

Sans repositions our arms so I am holding onto his right elbow. “No problem kid. I’ve never had to do that on that puzzle before, but,”

He does not finish his sentence.

{Seriously why does he keep doing that?}

[You know.]

{No i—}

[Yes, you do. You’re just not admitting it yet.]

{What do you--?}

Chara mentally huffs. [Fine. Keep deluding yourself into thinking you don’t understand anything about this world. ‘Cause believe it or not, you know a lot. Hell knowing a lot has helped you not die so far. If you embraced that--]

{It’s not like that! I was just wondering why Sans keeps saying he’s never had to do stuff before, or how he’s doing new things! Is his normal life boring?}

Silence between Chara and I. [Yes. You’re right. But I won’t say anything more. I’ll let Sans tell you eventually. It’s better that way…]

“Kid? We’re here. I’m opening the door.”

“Okay.”

I step into the store.

“Oh wait… everyone’s used to it being cold here so there’s no heat…” Sans says aloud what I just realized physically. “Hey! Light up that stove in the back! It’s cold in here.” He calls.

“Why—oh! A human? Oh I’m so sorry I didn’t warm this place up sooner! It may take a while to light the fire, even with magic. It may be better if you take her to Grillby’s.”

“Oh yeah. Thanks for the suggestion. But first: you want anything here? It’s been a while since we ate. There’s some other stuff here too. I can tell you ‘bout them if you want.”

“What do they have?”

“Well let’s just ignore the cold stuff—“

“Why the hell—“

“Everyone here doesn’t have to care about how cold food is. Including me. The only non-cold food in here is the Cinnamon Bunny, at twenty-five gold a piece. How much cash do you have?”

“Five hundred…?”

Sans whistles.

{How the hell can Sans whistle if he has no tongue?}

[Don’t know…] is Chara’s… uncomfortable… response…

“They’re about the size of your palm, if that helps.”

“How much can I afford to buy without wasting my money…?” I think aloud.

[Come on man! You have an easy source of income! You can buy as much as you want! Go crazy!]

{But I don’t know when I’ll be able to go back to play with the ball!}

[Doesn’t matter! You have plenty! Besides: Toriel gave you that Butterscotch Cinnamon Pie slice that heals all your HP! So you can buy a little less…]

{Fine…}

“Can I buy four—“

[Only?]

{Seriously?}

[Who knows when you’ll come back here?]

{Fine…}

“Six, Cinnamon Bunnies, please?”

“Sure! That will be 150 gold.”

I walk forward until my hands touch the counter, and I lay the front part of my bag on it. I reach inside and pull out some gold. I begin counting it out, but the owner just scoots it to her side of the counter. “This is twenty-five gold already. As you take gold out I can count it up for you.”

“Thanks.”

{Shit how will I pay her this will take foreeeeever!}

[Well the bag gave you the right amount the first time…]

{Why don’t you guys have paper money!?}

[We never needed it…]

{Ugh Asgore I swear…}

[Just keep taking out handfuls.]

*Five handfuls of gold and six Cinnamon Bunnies later…*

[Hey there’s a Manly Bandana here for fifty--]

{Where did it come from?}

[Ally—]

{Oh heeeeell noooo!}

[Fine…]

“This should be it for now.” I turn around, trying to face Sans.

“No problem. Just wanted to tell you, you can also place orders for items here if you want,. You can probably order a charger for the BrailleNote.”

“Oh yeah!”

“You want to order a printed item?” the shopkeeper asks.

“Whoa you have 3D printers!?”

“Yes we do, in Hotland. If you tell me what item you want I can notify Alphys. She will then go online and look for a suitable image of it. Then she’ll print it out and send it back here for you to look at to make sure it’s the right thing.”

“The thing is,” Sans explains, “is that she’s blind. I’ll have to help her with that.”

She gasps softly. “Oh I—I didn’t mean—“

“It’s okay. You couldn’t have known without us telling you.”

“I, I am sorry. It is just…” the owner sounds much more troubled than I ever would have imagined. “At least I know now. The problem is that sometimes it takes time for Alphys to even find good images. Sometimes she even has to settle for a substitute item. It can take between a few hours to a few days to complete the process.”

“it’s fine. I can wait.”

“Give her the BrailleNote then so she can deliver it to Alphys so she knows what to look for,” Sans suggests. “I’ll get it out of your bag.”

“but it’s… it’s expensive,” I say weakly.

“How much?”

“Eight? Thousand dollars. U.S. dollars. I don’t know how much this is in gold but…”

“And it has all your important stuff on it too.”

{He remembers!}

[Why wouldn’t he?]

“Yeah…”

“Tell you what: I’ll bring it with me the next time I go see her. That will be tomorrow afternoon. I’ll make sure nothing happens to it.”

“Okay,” I breathe out a sigh of relief.

“Okay then,” the shopkeep affirms. “Why do you need to bring this alongside the order?”

“I need a charger for it but I don’t know how easily, Alphys, can find images for it.”

“What kind is it? I can at least tell her that. And also, whatever this is…” She trails off. “May I see it?”

“It’s a kind of AC adapter. And sure.”

I flip the leather case open, revealing the keys. “May I touch the… bumps?” she asks.

“Yeah. It’s off. And probably dead. Right now anyway…”

“She writes using that,” Sans explains as she runs her fingers over the braille display. “The dots are programmed to raise up or go down. And that’s how they make the dots for the letters and numbers.”

{I never told him how--}

[Come on! Why are you even surprised at this point? Sans is smart okay?]

{Yeah… truuuuue…}

“I… I can’t imagine how you would read and write using this,” she almost whispers. “If you don’t mind, if you’re not busy, can you come by and show me how it works? Once the charger is done?”

“We can both show you braille before then,” Sans answers.

“Yeah,” I agree.

“Thank you. That will make my time here much more interesting. Sometimes business can be slow.”

“No problem,” Sans turns around, hands me my bag, and takes my arm. “I’ll take us to Grillby’s now, if you’re ready. I know a shortcut.”

Sans grasps my arm again, but the shopkeeper stops us before we can walk out the door. “Wait! At least introduce her to the Nice Cream guy down the street. Or take him to Grillby’s with you so she doesn’t get cold out there…”

“You want some Nice Cream?” Sans asks as we walk out the door.

“You mean ice cream right?”

“No Nice Cream. ‘Cause it’s actually nice. This is on the way to Grillby’s so don’t worry it won’t—“

“Hello?” someone calls out to us.

Sans turns off the street and stops. “The Nice Cream guy’s cart is in front of you.”

“Hi.”

“Oh! A customer? Finally! I can’t tell you how long monsters have been passing by without buying anything!”

“Why do they keep ignoring you?”

“I don’t know!” the Nice Cream cart owner seems… distressed… “They just keep complaining about how when they want to buy one, it takes forever for me to make some for them! By the time I’m finished, they’re too impatient and they leave again!”

“Wait hold up you make the nice cream on the spot?”

“Yes! I make them from scratch myself!”

“By yourself?”

“Yes!”

“So no one helps you?”

“No. Why do you ask?”

“Capitalism?”

{I never thought I’d ever have to do this…}

“You should find some people—I mean monsters—“

{Shit I feel bad…{

“—to help you so it’s faster.”

“But this is my business! Why should I let other people do the work for me? I don’t want anyone interfering with my product! I want it to be as high quality as possible!”

“Well,” I start to explain, “if you find someone to package the Nice Cream, and someone to find the ingredients, and someone to mix it—“

“Yes?”

“You can spend less time making and more time selling. And make customers happy.”

The Nice Cream guy considers. “I’ve thought about it. And I’ve even asked some monsters around here. But no one wants to! They think it will be boring!”

[Cue the nine-to-five work jokes…]

{Come on that’s not even relevant!}

“If you give them something they want in exchange, they might do it.”

“You mean like gold?”

“Yeah! You just have to make sure you don’t give them it all, or else you won’t have enough left to buy your stuff.”

[Revenue and profit margins?]

{Yeah!}

“Hey guys,” Sans interrupts, “let’s talk about this at Grillby’s. ‘Cause kid? You seem chilled down to the bone right now…”

“Whauw whauw whaaaaauw…”

“Okay!” the Nice Cream guy agrees. “I’ll put up a ‘Closed’ sign right now.”

After a couple seconds and some clanking noises, I hear the Nice Cream guy say from next to me, “Let’s go then. And, if you don’t mind me asking, how did you know that finding monsters to help me make my Nice Cream would make them easier to sell?”

“School stuff.”

“But how can I learn this?”

[A wild Adam Smith appears!]

“Well… it would be easiest if you had some books about business or economics in the library. Or if you have a computer you can look some stuff up. That’s better than me just telling it to you from memory.”

“My laptop is back at my cart. I’ll go get it.”

“Sure!”

As he runs away, the Nice Cream guy calls out, “What’s this book called? I can load it up so it’s open by the time I meet up with you again at Grillby’s.”

“It’s called ‘The Wealth of Nations’,” I call back. “It’s by a guy called Adam Smith. Any human high school recent economics book should work too.”

“I’ve heard of him! But he talked about wine, not ice cream, so I never bothered reading all of it…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Adapting this section of the game helped me realize how... unconventional... Visiontale is compared to other fanfics... because seriously try imagining a blind person doing these on their own...
> 
> {[Nope!]}
> 
> Also horray for introducing essentially-original characters!


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A break from most of the action and more world-building... meaning descriptions of how I imagine Snowdin to look like... Next chapter marks a return to normalcy for both this story and my college life: AKA researching stuff at the library! I wanted to continue the chapter with the next day's research, but it didn't feel right.

10

Loop until the next note.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6_fA6Pptogw

“I mean, if you want to help me I’ll be happy to find a way you can do it,” the Nice Cream guy agrees after reading through The Wealth of Nations… or least enough of it that he understands how specialization works…

“Like, normally I’d have to have a job interview and get permits and stuff before I can even work, but… I guess not around here.”

“So you really wanna work?” Sans can’t believe it. “Man. I thought you wanted to lie in bed all day.”

“I do! But… like… I don’t know how I’ll get money to buy all my stuff… and it seems like I’ll be staying down here for a while, so…”

“I’m just trying to think,” Nice Cream guy ponders, “of a job you could do by yourself. I… I want to have control over the creation of the Nice Cream. Even if someone else has to measure out the ingredients I want to still be the one mixing it. I’d think that’d be… hard… for you…”

“I mean I could do it… whether it’d be pragmatic is the thing. I did cooking a few years ago but besides that I don’t cook at home. I microwave and toast stuff but that’s it.”

“And keep in mind, you may be used to working out in the cold, but her? Humans aren’t built to withstand that for long. You may wanna move your stuff near the shop. Somewhere warmer, but close enough you can keep an eye on her.”

“Yeah,” he muses. “I keep forgetting humans can only tolerate cold by wearing layers and layers of clothing. I should have thought of that first.”

“Ehh, it’s okay. It’s not the worst thing in the world. At least you thought of it before I got to work and sat out there for eight hours and froze to death.”

Nice Cream guy laughs lightly. “Well I’m not that negligent. I’ll have you put on the outermost wrapping on the Nice Cream. The Nice Cream is actually wrapped in a second piece of material as well, but I can have someone else do that. Sealing the Nice Creams in their individual outermost bags will be less messy and faster. Although I seal them shut with magic, so I don’t know how you’ll do it…”

“Maybe we could place an order for a machine which seals them. I could put the wrappers and Nice Creams in and the machine could, dispense, magic, to seal them shut. And I could seal lots of them at once. Because mechanization and specialization are bestest manufacturing tools…”

[If handled right…?]

{Yeah but you get it… at least I think you do…}

[Come on I’m getting flashbacks from your econ classes… of course I get it…]

{True. Uh. Chara?}

[Yeah?]

{What the hell do I call the Nice Cream guy? Do you know his real name?}

[Like, people just referred to him as the Nice Cream guy around me. You can ask…?]

“Uh,” I lean across the table, hoping I’m talking to the right monster, “do people call you something besides Nice Cream guy? ‘Cause like, if I’m gonna be working for you it’s only fair I—“

Stop the music.

The door to Grillby’s crashes open. The dozen or so monsters around us continue talking like nothing happened. Chara and I, on the other hand, react exactly like you would expect.

“[Fuuuuuuck!]”

“I, the Great Papyrus, have returned from my run-in with the other members of the Royal Guard!” he shouts, running toward our table. “I have brought your bag back, safe and sound!”

He pulls up the chair next to me and plonks the back half of my bag onto the table.

“Oh thank God,” I begin to say. “Did they, like, attack you?”

“Not at all! And even if they did, they would be no match for me!”

Papyrus gnheh heh hehs. “You will witness this soon enough! After all, I have yet to properly attempt capturing you!”

“Oh no…”

{[Fuuuuuuuck!]}

“You can’t be serius.” Sans breathes.

[Whoa Sans being serious again though…?]

{Yeah… and I agree!}

“Of course I am being serious brother,” Papyrus rolls his rs on the word “brother,” and I try… and fail… suppressing a laugh.

“It’s like Spanish all over again…”

“She managed to survive my puzzles only because you altered them! I must attempt to capture her, without any interference! If I succeed, Undyne will—“

“But she can’t see,” Sans emphasizes. “The only reason she got through your puzzle was ‘cause you described it. How could she stand a chance fighting you?”

“nonsense Sans! She solves puzzles every day! She can at least prove a worthy opponent for me before she is inevitably captured!”

“Solves puzzles every day…?” I repeat.

“Of cooooourse!” he shouts in my face proper. “While searching for you I read the notes you had placed in your bag—“

“[Wait whaaaaat?!]”

“Yeh I’m confused too,” Sans slowly agrees. “You already know how to read braille?”

“How could I not? I, the Great Papyrus, saw the pieces of paper you failed to throw away at our house over the past several days and wondered what they were. I learned that dot writing is called braille and memorized its components. It proved, rather challenging, actually,” he admits.

“Whoa…” I’m still in shock. “So, you like, learned braille by memorization alone…?”

[Yeah I’m surprised too… but not too much.]

“It is rather different from what I, the Great Papyrus, am used to,” Papyrus continues, “but nothing I could not handle! If you could learn to write in a completely different system from our own and walk around by yourself, my puzzles would be a breeze by comparison!”

[Uh, nope!]

{Yep…}

“It doesn’t exactly work like that…” I try explaining. “Like yeah, braille and O&M are hard but they don’t involve spikes and invisible electric fences!”

“Well they do now!” Papyrus seems to have completely missed my point… “You will have no trouble fighting me!”

“I… I guess there’s no convincing you otherwise,” I sigh and confirm with him.

Sans answers, “Yeah. There’s not.”

“At least, if we’re gonna do this, let me get used to Snowdin first. ‘Cause I had to learn how to walk around, the rest of the Underground up to this point—“

[You’re not telling him about the Ruins?]

{Does he know about them?}

[I… don’t know…? Maybe?]

“—around Home. And Snowdin has a lot more peop-monsters and buildings int it. And they’re out in the open, so, yeah. You guys will have to orient me to this place.”

Everyone at our table falls silent for a few moments.

“Of course I will help you!” papyrus offers in his usual, Emile-ish, way. “I am up to the task of leading you around Snowdin.”

“Or you can put braille plaques or signs next to each door on the outside of each building,” Sans offers. “We can sculpt them out of ice if we need something shortterm.”

Papyrus jumps up from the table, knocking over… knocking his chair several feet across the room… in the process. “ I shall begin doing so right away! Until we meet again human. And hopefully, that will be in battle! Gnheh heh heh!”

He proceeds to run out the door, banging it open and shut like he did when he arrived.

After a few more moments of awkward silence, I tentatively comment, “Uh… like, I didn’t know Papyrus would do all that stuff to learn braille. And he did it without any help from anyone!”

Sans chuckles. “Why are you so surprised? I told you: if Paps ever genuinely tried capturing humans, he’d be pretty damn good at it. He has amazing capacities for auditory and visual learning.”

“I should tell him to make some landmarks for helping you find my Nice Cream stand,” Nice Cream guy points out. “it would make it much easier for you to get to work every day.”

“Truuue…?”

“And also: I never had time to tell you my name. The other shopkeepers around here call me Robin.”

I clarify, “Like Smash Robin or human ice cream brand Robin?”

“The Ice cream brand.”

“Nice!”

“I took that name after finding out about the brand online, from human food reviewers.”

“Sweet!”

Sans starts laughing again. “Nice. Just like Robin’s Nice Cream…”

*Cue stifled laughing from Chara*

{Shut up!}

“Whauw whauw whaaaauw…”

“So you didn’t mean it to be a pun?”

“No I just, thought Robin naming himself after an ice cream brand was… pretty sweet…”

I trail off, realizing I’m just continuing to make the unintentional pun…

“You know,” Robin stands up from his seat, “we’ve been sitting here for a while and you never got to meet Grillby yet. Or order any food. You want me to ask him over here?”

Before I can respond, Sans says “Sure thing.”

Robin pads across the room as Sans takes the chair Papyrus had used. He leans in close to my ear and whispers, “You better be careful around Grillby. He’s quite the hothead.”

“Okay… long as he’s less hyper than Papyrus we’re good…”

“Grillby’s here,” Robin calls out as he walks toward our side of the table. “Grillby this is Pauline."

“Uh Robin, the thing is, Grillby can’t talk. Or at least, he doesn’t choose to. So, how will this work? And sign language won’t work ‘cause someone will have to translate for him.”

“Can we, like, have him type on my phone?”

“Maybe… but he might melt it—“

“Wait hold up. Melt it?”

“Well, he is made of fire, after all. Don’t you sense it? He’s standing about four feet away from you, on your left side.”

After a couple seconds, I confirm that I sense some heat emanating from… somewhere… a couple feet away.

“Uh, Grillbs,” Sans turns to the left, speaking nervously, “she only has one phone. So if something happens to it—“

[Save?]

{Save!}

[Then we can reset if anything happens…]

“I think he wants you to unlock it,” Sans tells me.

I stand up and walk a couple feet so I’m standing next to Sans’ chair. My phone is placed in my hand, and I unlock it using my fingerprint. I turn off the voiceover and hold it out in front of me. Soon after I hear the clicking sounds of typing.

“Wait if he’s—you’re,” I correct, “made of fire how the hell are you even…?”

Grillby finishes typing and turns the voiceover on. I discover he’s created a new note, and I read it.

Hello nice to meet you, human. I am one of the most precise fire magic users in the Underground. I’m not made of fire. I just feel warm like fire most of the time.

“Oh… that, makes sense…”

[Whauw whauw whaaaaauw…]

“That’s good!” Robin exclaims. “You two can communicate at least. All we have to do is braille the menu—“

Robin stops mid-sentence. “I can make it for you,” Sans reassures him. “I’ll do that tomorrow. But in the meantime, what do you recommend Pauline orders? We gotta celebrate her arrival in style.”

*A burger, fries, and several bottles of ketchup later…*

“Thanks for everything, Grillby.”

Since we’ve finished eating I’ve undone the fingerprint restriction on my phone and made my password easy to type, even with the voiceover on. ‘No problem,’ he types. ‘That’ll be 280 gold for your meal.’

“Ehh, put it on my tab kid. It’s no problem—“

“I can pay for my own food I have cash.”

[So harsh with Sans though…?]

{I didn’t mean it--}

[Of course you didn’t…]

{*Sigh…*}

“And besides I wanna give him a ginormous tip for reading out… typing out… the menu… for me.”

“You got a point. Do what you want kid. I’ll help count up your money.”

“Sans? Why the hell doesn’t the Underground have paper money? Or larger amounts for gold?”

“We haven’t needed it, I already told you. People use magic on their bags so they can hold all their gold.”

“But seriously this is getting annoying already… someone oughta tell Asgore… And also having five gold or ten gold coins will make it easier for you to count your money.”

“I’d like that.” another one of Sans’ laughs.

Grillby taps me on the shoulder. ‘Where will you be going now? Do you have anywhere to stay? There should be a room at the Snowed Inn you can stay in.’

“Yeah. Good point Grillbs. I’ll have to have Paps clean the house in the meantime anyway. And the Snowed Inn isn’t too big so you should be able to figure it out on your own.”

“Sure. But, it’s literally called the Snowed Inn?”

Grillby types, ‘Yes. Why do you ask?’

“Dear Alvis it’s a pun?” I half ask, half groan.

“Alvis? He’s the Hight Entian royal seer from Xenoblade, isn’t he?”

{[Shit.]}

“Yeah. I just say that most of the time ‘cause ‘dear God’ triggers people…”

“Well why would you use his name in that way?”

“It just… sounds cool…”

[Why would you say it Sans hasn’t even finished watching the Let’s Play yet—“

{I know I know I forgot!}

“I’ll help you over to the Snowed Inn,” Robin offers, “and Sans? You can help Grillby with the braille menu. Then I’ll start researching the Nice Cream-wrapping machine. I’m not an engineering person, but I’m sure there must be some human analogue out there I can send over.”

“Yeah thanks a lot man.” I stand up, Robin laying a hand… paw… on my hand, prompting me to hold onto his arm. “Bye Sans bye Grillby. See you later.”

“More like see you tomorrow kid,” Sans calls out as we walk out the door. “it’s late. Like, past nine o’clock late.”

“Holy shit…”

Robin explains, “Most of the businesses besides the main shop in Snowdin are all on the same street. Grillby’s is in the middle. The library is on one end and the Snowed Inn is on the other. When you walk out the door, if you turn right you’ll find it. If the snow gets all rough under your feet you’ve walked too far.”

“So the street is on muy left?”

“Exactly. The path up to the door is cleared of snow and a bell rings when the door opens. So you may find it by following the sound of someone walking in or out of it.”

After following his directions, Robin holds the door open as we walk in the entrance. “The desk is to your right.”

Chara guides me to the desk and I ask, “Hello. I want a room please.”

“Okay,” the innkeeper says. “That will be eighty gold.”

I reach in the front pocket of my bag and begin counting out my gold. I’ve only counted out ten before Robin and the innkeeper begin helping me. “I’m sorry, but you only have seventy gold,” she tells me.

“Fuuuck!”

[Calm down man she’s cool with it--]

{But I can’t pay her! I shoulda bought less at Grillby’s…}

“Don’t worry,” she coos. “I can let you stay here for free, if you want, until you find another place to stay. Here’s your room key.”

She touches my hand as she slides a plastic card across the desk. “Your room is the last door on the right, at the end of the hall you first get to on the second floor after climbing the stairs. The stairs are in the back of this room, on the right.”

“Thank you soooo much… I can’t even begin to say how—“

“It is no problem,” she cuts me off as politely as she can. “Just by staying in my inn you’re attracting business. People will want to see the human after all.”

{Oh yeah…}

“Oh yeah…”

“Actually my sister who runs the shop told me about you. She said you might be coming. And,” she laughs a little, “Papyrus stopped by to notify me of him putting a, braille, sign, in front, so you can easily find this building.”

“Nice.”

“I’m grateful he’s doing that actually. This town is, confusing sometimes, with the sidewalk getting covered in snow.”

She steps out from behind the desk. “I’ll help you to your room. If you need anything, just dial 000 on the room phone.”

I flop down on my bed as Robin finishes describing the layout of my room. “We can push the bed up against the wall if you want so you don’t fall over. Or we can find a room that has a bed already like that.”

“This is fine—“

“It won’t be too much trouble. We only have to move it a few feet. And we’ll be using magic.”

Before I can refuse the offer again, I blurt “Okay.” The bed slides along the carpeted floor, while I’m still sitting on it. It bumps against the wall before coming to a stop. “There. The bed is also closer to the bathroom now.”

“Thank you guys.”

“Your welcome,” the innkeeper replies. “The desk is across from the foot of your bed. I’ll move it so it’s right next to the head of your bed.”

“Sure.”

Robin begins walking toward the door. “Is there anything else you need? I don’t start work until ten o’clock tomorrow morning, so if you need help with anything tonight I have plenty of time.”

“Nah. Just, where’s the power outlet?”

“One of them is in the wall at the head of your bed, near the floor. It’s between the bed and the table. Your bed is also across from the TV. The remote is on that table too. Its pretty easy to use. There are, like, several channels, but they’re all static except one.”

“You guys don’t use the TV?”

“We do,” the innkeeper laughs. “Just for Mettaton’s show though. You can’t miss it flipping through channels. It’s channel one.”

“Thanks for everything. I’m gonna prepare for bed.”

“Okay. Neither of us live too far from here, so if you need anything just call.”

“Okay.”

“Good night,” the two monsters call as they close the hotel room door.

[Let me guess: you’re just gonna floss and mouthwash but not brush your teeth and then binge-watch videos with me in bed?]

“Yeah…”

Chara appears, sitting on the bed beside me. “But first? I have a suggestion.”

“What?”

“Tomorrow, we go to the library. Even if the books aren’t in braille there’s probably someone who can read you the important parts. Or I can do it. If you’re gonna, fight, Papyrus, you have to know how magic works.”

“Truuuue…”

“Meaning you’ll have to learn how magic works and relearn some laws of physics ‘cause I know how much you struggled in Physics Honors last year.”

“Yeah… butChara? I never needed Robin and her to move my bed and that table. I coulda managed with this stuff where it was.”

“I knew that. I… I just thought it’d make your stay here easier. Like, I don’t know how long we’ll be staying here, so—“

“So you made those two help me by making me ask?”

“I knew it wouldn’t be too much trouble for them to do this. So I made you say it ‘cause you wouldn’t have said it otherwise. This might sound presumptuous, but it seemed like you didn’t trust Robin. Just ‘cause the first thing he did when he saw you was solicit you for his Nice Cream—either that or ‘cause all you wanted was to be alone and didn’t want them here.”

“I—it’s not—why the hell would you—“

Chara continues like I never spoke. “I may not have trusted everyone down here, but even I knew Robin was a good person—monster. Everyone’s just trying to help out. Whether they do it in the way you want is… debatable… but they still try the best they can.”

“But Asgore trained fucking attack dogs to hunt down humans! And they didn’t even stop until Papyrus went after them. How do I know that there aren’t more of them?”

“There are more Royal Guard members. And frankly it’s good you’re freaking out about meeting them. Her. Even I did, a little. Which is why you need to lab?Research? Magic. Tomorrow. So you can stand a chance against Undyne.”

“Oh no…”

“Yeah… Undyne’s… confrontational,” Chara slowly says the word.

{Holy shit Chara wouldn’t have heard that word before meeting me wouldn’t they?}

“Look: you have my word that when you defeat Papyrus you’ll be home free for a while. ‘Cause if you impress Papyrus you’ll impress Undyne.”

“I suppose…”

Chara hands me my phone and my phone charger from my bag. “Dude come on! You, like, worry too much. Even if some of it is justified, not all of it is. Like, we haven’t gotten to learning about the Civil War on Crash Course yet! And, that’s, like, exciting!”

“Exciting? It’s actually horrible. There were worse things that happened after but, like, in America this is one of the most horrible. And you think it’s… exciting.”

“Well it is! They, like, have better technology now so it doesn’t take a thousand years for someone to get shot.”

“And healthcare was shit. A soldier might as well have been shot rather than sent to a doctor if he was hurt…”

“But they finally figured out how to fire multiple rounds before reloading. How the hell—“

“Chara! Seriously not cool!”

“But—“

“I may have went through a period in my life where I liked military history, but I never did this.”

“Well it doesn’t matter anyway ‘cause the Civil War ended 150 or more years ago so why do you care?”

{Oh yeah… they don’t even know about slavery… not really. They don’t even know about black people being treated like… animals… well at least with real animals slave owners cared if they died…}

“Well how would you react if I told you that slaves’ treatment is similar to monsters’ treatment by humans? They segregated them here in the Underground and put up the barrier ‘cause they thought they were a threat. And hell, humans attacked first!”

Chara retorts, “Well I’m still annoyed it took them so damn long to make better guns… And besides: I’ll learn about that soon enough will I? By watching this?”

“Yeah. You’re right. Even so don’t be surprised if we stop a lot… ‘cause… more complicated stuff you wouldn’t have known without living in the U.S…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As of 10/16/17, I finally found suitable Snowdin music! The uRL is:
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6_fA6Pptogw
> 
> Horray for GameChops! Too bad Paps barges in sooooo soon... *sigh...*


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is probably one of the most important chapters, since there is some, exposition, regarding how determination works in this timeline, which is a theory I created, and am still revising, based on both real, cutting edge science, and the in-game lore. This chapter, and ones like it, are the ones most likely to be revised drastically since if my facts are incorrect, I have to change the chapters to reflect the correct or most current science.
> 
> The exposition from this chapter comes from the library books in Snowdin, and the Wikipedia page on the Autonomic Nervous System, which I first accessed on December 20, 2016 Pacific time.
> 
> Later on, I will start citing genuine scientific articles in these chapters, since the science I will be drawing on is, relatively current, AKA from the last five years, or even more recent than that. My citations will be placed here when applicable. If anyone wants me to put footnotes in the actual chapter text, or as close as can be managed, comment saying so.
> 
> Also, here's the link to the video with the voice for Dewey!
> 
> Between March and June 2017, I took a college class at school relating technology and communication. Let's just say when the quarter was almost over, I realized that my professor sounded like how I imagined Dewey to sound. It may seem weird that I'm using a real person's voice to inspire an Undertale character but... it worked out!
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-POe4Iz6fUI&t=171s#t=02m43s
> 
> If it weren't for Professor Raphael, I wouldn't know the language necessary to articulate the... sociotechnological and cultural developments I'll be elaborating on later on. It will be a while before I can put that course's material to good use, however. Suffice it to say, Visiontale motivated me to pay attention in that class.
> 
> Yeah: he's cool.

11

“Waaake uuuuuup! It’s, like, 1:00 P.M already!”

“Sooo?” I turn over so I face the wall, trying to block out Chara.

“But, like, we actually have stuff to do today!”

“Yeah so?”

The blanket unravels from around me and falls onto the floor. “Seriously man you actually have something important to do and you just wanna fuckin’ sleep?!”

“You know I consciously choose to do this can you please stop annoying me about it?”

“The sooner you get up the sooner you can get the research done so the sooner you can fuck around…”

“Since when did you start swearing?”

“When did you start swearing?”

“That’s not even—“

{Holy shit Chara just--}

Several objects hit me in the face from my new position sitting up on the edge of the bed, and I soon figure out they’re clothes. “How much clothes did Toriel give me?”

“Enough so you only have to wash them every two weeks but can still wear something new every day. Outside and here.”

“Nice! Where should we put my old clothes?”

“You can still use them later. There’s lots of empty pockets on the back half of your bag. I’ll put them in the one to the right of the clean clothes pouch.”

“Thanks. But shouldn’t I eat first before changing?”

“Like, Grillby’s, Robin’s Nice Cream, and the Snowdin shop are the only food places. And you could have the food delivered here if you really wanted—“

“But that costs money—“

“That you don’t have to pay out ‘cause the innkeeper is basically letting you live here till you get things figured out. It’s like bringing snacks to your room from the kitchen if you were at home—“

“No it’s not I’m asking her to bring it here. I’d get the food myself if I was at home.”

“Suit yourself. We’ll be sitting around in the librarby all day later anyway so—“

“Did you just say ‘librarby’?”

“Yeah why?”

“You know it’s supposed to be ‘library’—“

“I know. Everyone knows. The sign is misspelled. Sheesh. Just change so we can go to Grillby’s…”

*A few minutes later…*

‘You really like bacon?’

“Yeah…”

“Don’t worry. Many monsters do. Because it tastes good. Because they don’t have to worry about its, negative health effects. And because the human Internet loves it…’

“Truuuue…”

‘And besides: this costs forty gold. You still have some left. Robin said you can start working in two days. I can track what you eat and charge you then.’

“I have a way to earn gold. I can pay you. Just… later today or tomorrow, not now…”

{Whoaaa!}

[What you thought Grillby couldn’t laugh?]

{No I just--}

[Thought since he can’t? Doesn’t? speak, he wouldn’t laugh?]

{Yeah…}

‘Of course. And what would you like to drink?’

“What do you have?”

‘Most human drinks.’

Before I can refuse, I answer “Cherry coke.”

[Gneh heh heh!]

{Seriously…?}

[Come on even you can appreciate this. You rarely have soda in your house…]

‘And would you like me to pack some for you for when you are in your room or outside? Thermoses are easy to come by. They’re free actually.’

“Sure. But how will it stay cold? Besides it being cold here?”

‘Insulation. And magic.’

“Okay…”

‘Where will you be going after this?’

“The library. ‘Cause I need to learn about how magic works.”

Grillby laughs again. ‘I heard Papyrus yesterday. It’s good you’re being cautious since his fights are, wild. People come by this place for refreshments though, so I can’t complain. Should I split your order so you can have some while you’re there?’

“Sure.”

‘If I don’t bring the food in five minutes or less it’s free.’

“Okay.”

“Oh my Goood this is soooo good!”

[Yeah Grillby’s awesome… him and Toriel should team up.]

“Truuue… bacon on butterscotch cinnamon pie—“

[What the--]

{Look they had… have… bacon-flavored ice cream and toothpaste on the surface… and where I live...—}

[Lived.]

{Lived… this isn’t that weird.}

[Okay…] Chara sounds very disconcerted about the, numerous… applications for bacon…

After eating and packing my dinner, I ask Grillby, “Where’s the library?”

‘Walk toward the shop, but turn left at the first path you find. It’s the only branching path that way. The library is on the left.’

“Thanks.”

‘If you get lost, walk until you find a building. I’m sure any monster there can help you find it.’

“I owe you guys soooo much…”

‘Not at all. It is unfortunate Asgore must take your soul. Because us townspeople could modify this place for you if we had the time.’

“Oh yeah…”

Grillby pats my shoulder. ‘I’ll watch you from the front door to make sure you’re headed the right way. Good luck.’

“Thanks.” I stand from my seat and walk the couple feet to the door. I open it and orient myself so the street is on my right, unfolding my cane as I do so. “See you later Grillby,” I call behind me.

Start the video at 2:43, and end after about thirty seconds, or until you get the idea of what he sounds like.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-POe4Iz6fUI&t=171s#t=02m43s

After a few minutes of walking, I find the library, but before I can open the door, a monster does so for me. “Come in,” they say. “You must be the human Papyrus was talking… ranting… about… last night!”

“Yeah…”

“I’m the librarian, the name’s Dewey.”

“Like Dewey Decimal system Dewey?”

“Of course! He was the reason I could organize the books in here at all! Before I found out about him they were all stacked on one table. Now we have them all laid out nicelike.”

I enter the library, my cane bumping against… something… “That’s a shelf. Our newest books are there. What are you looking for?”

“I need to know how magic works.”

“Well you can’t know that without knowing monster anthropology and history.”

Dewey laughs. “Well it’s not anthropology down here isn’t it? Because that’s the study of humans. No one’s found a suitable substitute so it can refer to monsters.”

“Oh yeah… I keep forgetting…”

“It’s okay. You’re from another culture. You’re just seeing this how you were taught to see it. And who knows? You’re an outsider, so you could probably find some things we take for granted.”

Dewey takes my shoulder. “I got a few reports written by our oldest class of monster children. I can read them to you after we find a seat.”

“Wait the kids write the library books?”

“Monsters don’t have publishing companies. Just… mechanical publishing equipment. We don’t have much formal scholarship either,” Dewey explains as he pushes out a chair for me. “I have a monster history book, cultural anthropology book, and psychophysiology book—“

“Wait whaaaat?!”

“Psychophysiology. It’s the relationship between psychological states and their impact on a monster’s, or even human’s, physiological state. You feel certain things when you experience certain emotions don’t you? When you’re angry your heart rate increases. And when you’re excited you feel the same way, but it’s your experiences which differentiate the two. It’s like that.”

“Yeah… truuuue…”

“Well I’m gonna read you part of the book which explains this. I know these books by heart, so I’m just reading the most important parts aloud. This section is a comparison of monster and human biology, and how they each shape daily life differently.

“While monsters are mostly made of magic, human beings are mostly made of water. Humans, with their physical forms, are far stronger than us. Sure, they process food to make energy much less efficiently than we do, but that doesn’t matter. What does matter is that no matter how they feel, if they have the physical strength to do something, they can. And if they want to do it, if they have to do it, they will find a way to. The next chapter goes into greater detail about the impact monsters’ emotions have on their magical strength, and, in the process, their way of interacting with the physical world.

“Despite these advantages, they will never know the joy of expressing themselves through magic. Their cells, and their muscles, and their bones, restrict them. They can’t light fire with just a gesture. They need a lighter and matches, at least. They can’t heal wounds instantaneously. If it takes months to fix a broken leg then why use them at all? Wait; they can’t fly without assistance either so they can’t even get away with not using their legs.

“Humans are really missing out. I say it doesn’t matter they can run marathons. They’ll never get a bullet-pattern birthday card... or create snow sculptures of their loved ones in seconds… Can I just say that monsters’ lives are better than humans or do I have to cite my sources again?”

“Well,” Dewey finishes reading the chapter… section… I’m not even sure… “what do you think?”

“This is how the library books are like? I thought adult monsters would write these up.”

“Well, the adult monsters look at them. They let the kids say almost anything they want. And besides: these books are for the younger ones. The older students read to them. So writing like this gets to them better.”

“I… oh yeah… you don’t really have college professors riting about this stuff don’t you…?”

“And to be honest,” Dewey flips through the book, “I prefer it that way. Why have some old monsters write these books when by the time they’ve finished learning everything more stuff has been discovered? They’d spend years and years of their lives in school, just to write as a footnote in a book, ‘Since this book’s publication it has been discovered that humans can, in fact, heal themselves at a comparable rate to magic; read my next book to find out how, even though it’ll take ten years for it to come out…’”

“I mean like, it’s not thaaat bad… I think… but still… yeah… truuue…”

[College life stuff I won’t understand?]

{Even I don’t fully get it. I was only in school for a week? Two? I don’t know how it works either.}

“I opened the book to the section on emotions’ effects on the monster soul, the chapter is called ‘Monsters’ Comprehensive Physiological Response to Emotional Stimuli.’ Should I start reading it?”

“Wait this was written by kids?”

“Of course!” Dewey laughs. “Kids with a dictionary next to them, but still kids. We fact-checked these books with Alphys and Sans, so what you’re hearing is pretty accurate, if not a little… not as professional as it first sounds. Ready?”

“yeah.”

“This part is a little technical. It discusses human physiology. And I don’t know if you ever studied it.”

“I did. Up until a few months ago actually.”

“In high school?”

“yeah.”

“Okay. But if you need me to explain anything, I can. I have a printed copy of a recent human college physiology book here so, don’t hesitate to ask.

Because they are made of magic, monsters’ bodies are attuned to their SOUL. Akin to the amigdala’s role in human emotional stimulus and processing, monster souls are the origin of their emotions. Magic ebbs and flows according to the user’s state of mind. Strong, positive emotions, like love or passion, generate the most powerful and controlled outbursts of magic.

“However, in monster-human confrontations, monsters’ fear or panic may interfere with their ability to focus their magic. If they manage to reign in their emotions, they have a chance of surviving or running away.

“But most monsters lack this kind of self-control. Negative emotions create similar effects as they do in humans. When humans feel stress or fear, their endocrine systems release hormones which reallocate their bodies’ use of energy, and flow of blood through them. They enter a state called ‘fight or flight’, although ‘flight’ is inaccurate, seeing as they can’t actually fly…

“In any event, monsters enter a similar state of fight or flight when threatened. But unlike humans they lack subconscious systems to help calm them down. If put in human terms, monsters have a sympathetic nervous system… well… sympathetic magical system. But they don’t have a parasympathetic magical system to decrease magical output, when a threat has passed or on command. A monster must consciously suppress their emotions to begin redirecting their magic so it can be used effectively.

“If a monster doesn’t want to fight, its defenses will weaken. Its magic will become diffuse. The magic composing their being, surrounding their soul, will become less substantial, more siceptible to wearing away. If enough of it has worn away, the monster’s soul is exposed, and only immediate escape from the confrontation can aide in their magic regenerating.

“What is worse is the overwhelmingly magical nature of monsters makes them inherently empathetic. Their beings do not end where their physical forms end. Their consciousness, originating from their soul, and their sensory capabilities, also exist in a cloud or bubble around them. Their consciousness does not completely fade until several feet away from their bodies, but their sensory capabilities, initiated by magic, can extend much farther. Anything in their line of sight, or field of knowing, can be influenced by their magic. Even if a monster can’t see something, if they know it’s there, they can affect it.

“This empathy inevitably makes it immensely difficult for monsters to exist near humans. They are guaranteed to come in contact with humans’ emotions, and become weaker because of it, with the only way to remedy any negative impacts on their magic is to minimize, if not completely cut off, any contact.

“So the crueler the intentions of our enemies, the more their attacks will hurt us, because the crueler their intentions, the more negative emotions we feel. And the more negative emotions we feel, the weaker we become. And the weaker our magic becomes, the less able we are to fight back and protect our souls. Any human is capable of exhibiting such cruelty. Their survival instincts are naturally selected for. Us monsters never had that kind of… weeding out.

“Therefore, if a being with a powerful SOUL struck with the desire to kill...

“Um, let’s end the chapter here...”

I hear a clunking sound as Dewey puts down the book and lets out a breath. “Well, now you know why us monsters were unable to fight the humans. Their emotions alone lowered our morale so much we couldn’t fight if we tried. It wouldn’t matter if they couldn’t heal their wounds in a second. As long as they were conscious they could feel a desire to defeat us. And that would be enough.”

[…]

{What’s wrong Chara?}

[Nothing.]

{It doesn’t sound like nothing…}

[Just… there’s more to this story. Ask him about what monster souls are made of.]

{Whyyyyy?}

[Because it matters. A lot. Because it has to do with determination. And why humans have it.]

{Okay… but why can’t I just ask about--}

[No.]

Chara sounds… stern. [Don’t ask about determination. Just don’t.]

{… Why? Is it taboo?}

[No. It’s… worse…]

“Dewey? You keep talking about monster souls. But what are they made of? Is that even a fair question?”

“Of course I should cover that. But it’s only speculation. The scientific evidence supporting it is… tentative… at most. It’s in a different book. Should I read the most important bits?”

“Including the part about wanting to end a chapter if what’s in it is too dark?”

“Yeah,” Dewey chuckles. “That was literally in the book. Let me just find the right chapter… this is a relatively new book so I don’t know it by heart yet…

“Love, hope, compassion... this is what people say monster SOULs are made of. After all if they weren’t their magic would manifest like things out of horror films all the time and no one could stop them, even if they tried…

{Nice…}

[Yeah. Some of the kids here reeeeally like human horror films… I still don’t know why…]

“But the truth is is that the absolute nature of monster souls is unknown. They cannot be studied as they disapate soon after death in all except the rarest of cases. All we can go on are testimonials of monsters in poor health or close to death.

“In light of our lack of evidence, we cannot even begin speculating on the absolute nature of the human soul. Although it has been theorized that humans’ souls don’t need these things to exist, we cannot investigate the details as the only six human souls we have are currently being held by King Asgore, and he forbids them being available to the public for study.

“One rumor circulating around the Underground over the past several years, however, may offer a glimpse into how the human soul operates. Unlike monsters, humans’ actions are mediated by the brain. Monsters don’t have one, only a soul. It is often stated by human scientists how the brain regulates humans’ bodily functions and directs their actions. Maybe… humans’ brains are the reason they are stronger than us. After all, the brain sure seems similar to a monster’s soul. They do the same things, after all.”

“You guys doing okay? Dewey loooooves talking to people about soulology. He thinks that every monster who walks in here could have the answers he’s, well, we’re, all looking for. You could say he’s looking for, chicken soup for the soul…”

“Holy shiiit!”

Sans lays an arm… his humorous, ulna, and radius? Across my shoulders. “Come on don’t act like you’re not confused… You may not feel like it, or think you look like it, but you look, like, really zoned out right now. Come on DD, give her a break. You’ve read, what? One?”

“Three,” the librarian corrects.

“Three,” Sans corrects himself, “about how magic works. I think Pauline should talk this over with us. Over lunch—“

“I already ate lunch. I ate at Grillby’s just before I came here.”

“Over dinner.”

“It’s half past three,” Dewey points out. “My watch says so.”

“Well think of it like a snack. After all, you need some brain food.”

“Ugh…”

“Heya I didn’t mean it to be a pun this time… I’m not thaaat similar to Emile yet…”

“Truuuue… Papyrus is getting there though…”

My bag appears on my lap. “Get out some food. We can talk about all this, and your fight with Paps, at the same time. That, and well... have you ever been around anyone using magic before?”

“Yeah when Toriel would use fire magic to light a fire in her house. And forge the slate and stylus.”

“Good. But that’s not the only kind of magic around here. Or rather, that’s not the only manifestation of magic around here. It’s good you stopped reading where you did DD,” Sans turns away a little, presumably speaking to Dewey, “’cause it’s about time I help by leading her through some, hands-on, learning.”


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> First off, the first version of this chapter was posted on Christmas Day, so, consider this a Christmas gift.
> 
> Second, I never realized how hyped I was to write this chapter until I looked up all the information I needed to know on the Undertale Wiki and read the glorious encounter and flavor text. FYI, I retrieved the relevant dialogue from there on December 24, 2016.
> 
> Lastly...
> 
> Gneh heh heh heh heh heh heh heh heh!

12

“So, like, what you know affects your attacks?” I ask Sans as he eats the other half of my bacon sandwich. Dewey’s left for the moment. “To tell everyone you appreciate the books!” he sounds like he’s beaming. “That and I want some of that bacon. So I’m off to Grillby’s.”

“Yeh. A monster’s, ‘field of knowing,’ is the area their consciousness covers. The stronger the monster, the larger the area. And the more passionate the monster, same thing.”

I reiterate slowly, “So Papyrus will be really strong then since he reeeeeally waaaants to capture me…”

“Yeh. The only thing you can do is survive until he sees you really don’t wanna fight. Or get hurt.”

[Man I wish you knew how happy Sans is right now.]

{Why?}

Sans laughs. “Oh man,” he’s, excited. “If only you knew what he’s been doing since you last talked. He’s cleaned the house! And made extra spaghetti. And modified the decorations. And moved all my stuff so you don’t trip over it. Even the stuff on shelves!”

“Modified?”

“You’ll have to see for yourself.” He sounds, sly, all of a sudden. “But yuh get it right? What he’s gonna be like?”

“Think so.”

“Just one more thing: a monster’s consciousness is in a slightly rounded field around them and above them. But if they wanted they could change that. No point on focusing on what’s behind you when what you’re doing is in front.”

“Like how humans don’t actually multitask they just switch between things really fast.”

“Kinda. More like it confirms that multitasking doesn’t exist.”

“So whatever Papyrus looks at, he’ll be focusing on.”

“Exactly. Most of the time a monster’s field of knowing isn’t much larger than their field of vision. So you should be fine.”

Sans pats my shoulder. “You’ll do great. You came here to look for information. That’ll pay off in spades.”

He stands from the table. “Later tonight I’ll be seeing Alphys. She wants me to consult her about the BrailleNote.”

“Where does she live?”

“Hotland. It’s… a little far from here but… distance doesn’t mean much around here. Dewey didn’t tell you about the rest of the Underground?”

“No… I just told him to read the psychophysiology book…”

“Ehh. You have time. I’ll tell him to find something short to read you tomorrow.”

“So you dropped the BrailleNote off already?”

“Yep. Woke up before noon to do it too.”

“Dude I, like, woke up at 1:00, so… you woke up before me.”

[Someone lazier than Sans? It’s a miracle!]

{Shut! Up!}

“Anyway: Alphys took a look at the BrailleNote and is reeeeally interested in how it works. So she’s researching the components right now. She thinks she can make a battery compatible with our current technology so she can just use what we already have.”

“But you guys have electricity don’t you? Alphys made me that iPhone charger.”

“We consume magical energy, generated using geothermal power. The Core, deep below Hotland, is how we get our power. So when you plug your phone into the wall you’re technically charging it using magic. Magic has, amorphous properties, so for small stuff magic and be substituted for electricity, if sent through the correct medium.

“Sweet!”

“Anyway, I’m goin’ to Grillby’s. Wanna come with? It’s like, dinner time.”

“Wait hold up you go from sounding like a science textbook to… that?”

“Well I didn’t wanna give you a shortened answer. ‘Cause you have a right to know. We all know it.” Rather than sounding casual, Sans now seems… blunt. Genuinely open and honest.

“And,” he slows down a bit, “since you’re gonna be down here a while you oughta know what we know.”

“Truuuue… But it’s only 4:30—“

“More like five.”

He laughs. “Who’s suffering from mood whiplash now?”

“Wait…”

“Let’s just say learning about the resets led me to some... interesting human web sites. TV Tropes was my main source of info about humans for a good long while. So yeh. I’m genre savvy.”

“Yeeees!”

[Just one yeeees?]

“And even if you’re not hungry yet you’ll wanna meet the editors of Undermail.”

“Undermail?”

“The Underground’s newspaper. I bet they’ll post past issues online so you can read them if Dewey yelled at them about it enough.”

I laugh. “Yeah… he’s hella smart!”

Sans brushes my arm with his, signaling for me to hold onto his elbow. “I can walk there myself Grillby gave good directions.”

“You sure? There’s more snow out. You might get lost and turn into a, cold case, if you don’t use sighted guide.”

{[Whauw whauw whaaaaauw…]}

“I can hear you walking I’ll be fine,” I reassure him as we walk out the door and down the sidewalk. “And really man?! You make a murder joke before I fight Papyrus!? Too soon!”

“But it hasn’t happened yet.” Sans’ voice comes from a foot or so to the right of me.

“Like it’s still, too soon.” I trail off, unable to phrase it differently. I turn right, following the smell of…

“Baaaacooooon!”

[Wow I never thought I’d hear Sans laugh so hard… and I’ve heard him laugh hard a loooot.]

{What!? I’m hungry!}

[Yeah I can tell. Sans, like, mooched off you… even though he could’ve gotten his own bacon from Grillby. RIP.]

“Thanks Reed. You too Wrighte.”

“Whooo…?”

“The Undermail journalist and editor,” Sans explains as he guides me first through the door, then my hand to his elbow and extends his arm out behind him so I am walking behind him. “It’s narrow. Thought it’d be better if I went in front.”

“That’s actually what you’re supposed to do,” I observe as I sit down at the chair Sans pulls out for me. “The person giving sighted guide, puts… extends… their arm behind them so the person using it can walk behind them to avoid obstacles. And if anything happens,”

[Just say it…]

“Yeah… the sighted guide will get hit by a car first.”

“Whauw whauw whaaaauw.”

[Saaaans diiiid the thiiiing!]

{Yep!}

“Hey Reed. Wrighte. Get over here,” Sans calls out, pulling out two more chairs. “Pauline they’re sitting across from you.”

“Hi.”

“Hey!” one of them greets me, “I’m Wrighte! The best word search creator in the Underground!”

I groan, “Oh God… Sans did you have them help you with the damn word search outside yesterday?”

“Yeh...”

“Too lazy to make it yourself?” Reed? asks.

“Yeh…”

“Ehh.”

“Dewey told us about you while you were talking to Sans,” Reed explains. “He wants us to read the best issues of Undermail to you before we figure out how to, digitize,” they say this slowly… like what Toriel did when I told her about the voiceover on my phone, “them for you. We’ll need Alphys to print something but it should be easy. We just need something to turn the print paper into brailled paper.“

“Like, you can either have Alphys make or use a scanner you already have to turn the newspaper into a file I can read digitally. But I’ll need something to read that file on. A scanner could be compatible with my phone.”

“Or the BrailleNote. Well the file from the scanner anyway,” Sans adds.

“Yeah. Or you can just type them up and give that file to me. Or Alphys could make an embosser, which is like a printer, but it brailles files. I’d have you email the files to me, but…”

“But what?” Reed and Wrighte ask in unison.

“I don’t know if my email works here…”

“We can always post them as text on the Undernet. We know you have a smartphone, so that should work for now,” Wrighte cheerfully reassures me, “at least until we ask Alphys to make the—“

The door crashes open… and shut… “It is I! The Grrrrreeeeeat Papyrrrrrus!”

{must… not… laugh…}

{[Shit…]}

“What’s so funny?” Reed whispers. They sound closer, so they’ve likely leaned toward me across the table.

“He sounds like…”

[They know about Spanish you know. Some monsters are bilingual…]

{I didn’t assume--}

[Oh yeah? You just did…]

{*Sigh…* Fine.}

“He sounds like he has a… Spanish? Mexican? Accent… a little.” I whisper back.

[What you don’t wanna compare him to the most interesting man in the world?]

{How the fuck--}

[Your memories…?]

The Undermail staff and Sans start giggling as well… at least until Papyrus stomps over to our table, slams a chair down on the side of the table closest to me, and begins, “Human! I cannot believe you would rather spend your time here with my brother instead of me! All he’s done over the past several days is watch YouTube videos!”

“Hey! If I had my laptop here I’d do that every day too!” I retort.

[That’s not helping…]

{Well it’s true!}

Papyrus roars, “You have somehow made my brother even lazier! You and Fiora! You, Fiora and—“

“Hey,” Sans brushes my arm as he leans across the table and in front of me. “No spoilers in public remember? We went over this. We don’t wanna make everyone send hate mail to Undermail if anyone else decides to watch Emile’s LP. Like what happened to Markiplier’s Let’s Play for—“

“Fine then.” Papyrus agrees, loudly and grudgingly.

{What happened? What did he spoil?}

[…]

{Chara? What did he spoil?}

[… It’s a… long story…]

{That you’ll end up telling me when we have the time?}

They hesitate for a moment, uncertainty and… anxiousness… washing off of them. [… Nah…]

“Anyway,” Papyrus continues, unusually quiet. “I, the Grrrreeeat Papyrrrrus, could not help but observe that you were cooped up inside all day today.”

Yeah… why’d you ask?”

[What? You don’t wanna tell him you were labbing magic?]

{… Yeah... I think…}

[Papyrus already knows this stuff. It’s not like you were digging around for secret stuff.]

{… We’ll see.}

Papyrus takes a breath—

{Wait how did he breathe he doesn’t have to—}

“I asked, because… well…”

{He never stutters like that.}

[Yeah true.]

“Allow me to tell you about some complex feelings.”

“Suuuuure…?”

{Why is Papyrus all… seriouslike?}

He begins slowly, “I’ve begun feeling… feelings like, the joy of finding another pasta-lover. The admiration for another’s puzzle-solving skills and gaming expertise—“

“Like, I know only stuff about RPGs and that’s it,” I hurry to amend. “Like I know about other genres… mostly horror games… but I can’t play them.”

“I have also begun feeling feelings like The desire for a cool, smart person to think you are cool.”

“Duuuude… that happened to me aaall the tiiiime in school…” I affirm.

“These feelings...” Papyrus continues.

“Yeah?” I prompt him.

“Must be what you are feeling right now!”

{What the fuck!?}

“What the f—“

“I can hardly imagine what it must be like to feel that way!” Papyrus returns to his… shouting…? Self, and barrels over my attempt to speak. “After all, I am very great! I don’t ever wonder what having lots of friends is like!”

“Well you’re talking about it so you probably do wonder about it…” I try pointing out.

{Insecure much?}

[Oh not at aaall!]

“Nonsense! I pity you… lonely human…” Papyrus interrupts me. “But worry no longer! I, the Grrrrreeeat Papyrrrrus, will be your…”

He uncharacteristically trails off.

{Friend? Is it--?}

“No.” Papyrus suddenly says decisively.

“No what?”

“No!” he shouts again. “This is all wrong! I can’t be your friend!”

“What?”

“You are a human!” he… seems… to justify. “I must—“

“Oh heeeeell noooo you aren’t capturing me!” I argue back, but to no avail.

“Now, I can fulfill my lifelong dream!”

{Oh God why is Papyrus… happy?}

[‘Cause capturing a human is like, his lifelong dream…]

{Okay…? That’s not obvious--}

[And scary.]

{And scary!}

{[At all!]}

“POWERFUL! POPULAR! PRESTIGIOUS! I, THE GRRRRRREEEEAT PAPYRRRRRUS, WILL SOON BECOME AAAAALL OF THEEEEESE THIIIIINGS!”

He stops abruptly. “That,” he says more quietly and firmly, “and the newest member of the Royal Guard.”

I reply, “Fuck you! You’re fucking crazy! How the hell am I supposed to fight back? I’m not even armed! You’re attacking a fucking blind person you fucking asshole! For your own benefit! If this is what you wanna do, and if you’re who Asgore wants in the Royal Guard, then fuck him too!”

[Wow…]

{He hasn’t censored himself in front of me so why should I?}

Chara’s voice goes deadpan. [You. Didn’t. Just. Say that. About Asgore.]

{Well it’s true! If he’s training fucking attack dogs to attack me and wants… crazy people--}

[And narcissists--]

{Them too!}

“Everyone knows now you’re a huuuuge dick!”

[But Papyrus--]

{Shut up!}

“OH?!?” Papyrus challenges.

I feel someone’s hand on my wrist… and my feet leave the floor… and my knees bang the side of the table…

Someone grabbed me… and is holding me in the air…

Wait.

“Heeeeeey!”

“If you wish to prove your worth to me, fight me then!” he shouts in my face.

“Now!?” Sans gasps. “Paps! She hasn’t eaten! We were gonna—“

“Silence Sans! You will never know the pleasure of capturing a human! You are too lazy to eeeever achieved what I will achieve!”

“But she’s right: she’s unarmed. So how can she even defend herself?” Sans tries to confront Papyrus… or at least it sounds like it because his voice is coming from right below me.

Papyrus begins walking… and I hear the sounds of scraping chairs… lots of them…

{Seriously they’re gonna watch me get bodied!?}

[Bodied?]

{Beat up!? Badly!}

[Yeah, they are… to be honest I would too…]

{CHAAAAAARAAAAA!}

[What it’s true!]

“The door to Grillby’s bangs open and then shut, Papyrus still holding onto me. “We will settle this outside!”

“What the fuck—“ I begin to ask.

“It’s not far from Grillby’s.” Sans’ voice sounds… pretty quiet from where I am. “There’s a space cleared off for the monsters to use for stuff in the middle of town.”

{At least Sans will be watching.}

[Yeah. You have noooo idea of how relieved I am about that. He can stop Paps if he gets out of hand.]

{But Papyrus just ignored him! Sans got walked over--!}

[When push comes to shove… well when push comes to getting fucking recked, Sans’ll cover you. Trust me. He can handle himself.]

As Sans finishes speaking, Papyrus drops me, where I fall to my knees. I carefully stand back up again, thankful Toriel modified my shoes to be multi-weather. I hear Papyrus walking away. After another second of walking, is footfalls stop, and I am launched in the air, but higher than normal.

Another fight.

{Where the fuck--}

[Like, twenty? Okay more like thirty? Feet off the ground. Papyrus is… about fifteen feet away from you. Well fifteen feet away from your spot on the ground if you had stayed—]

Chara stops, the sound of… bullets? Something? Filling the air below me. “What the—“

[Bones.]

{Booooones??}

[Yeah… well bullets shaped like bones. They’re about ten feet below your feet. They’re flying around below you. You might wanna move higher. Give yourself some space.]

{How?}

[Like… jumping, but not really by moving your legs like you’re gonna jump? Shrugging your shoulders upward? Lifting your arms up? Moving your body like… you’re trying to move up.]

{That’s helpful--}

[Look I never had to think about it I just did it!]

I imagine myself lifting into the air, and the cold wind rushes by my skin. “Holy shit that was fast!”

[Yeah. You’re, like, sixty feet in the air now… but the bones are still ten feet below your feet. Papyrus is directing them with his hands.]

I motion my body as if to back away, but the clacking of bones follow me, still below my feet. “Crap.”

“YOOOOOUUU THINK YOU CAN EVADE ME!?!?” PAPYRUS YELLS.

[He’s walked so he’s… less then ten feet from where you would have been if you stayed on the ground.]

{But how can I still hear him?}

[Magic does that remember?]

{Noooo…?}

[His voice covers his field of knowing. Monsters don’t really speak their consciousness just projects manifestations of their soul. And he’s strong magically. So yeah… he shouts all the time for a reason…]

“Well the bones haven’t moved—“ I begin to shout back.

[Nooooo!]

{What do you mean no!?}

[Don’t say it!]

{Say what!? It’s true the bones haven’t really moved at all!}

“—any closer!”

Chara groans. [Oh nooooo you went and did it now… please Papyrus by Alvis don’t do it…!]

{Do what!?}

“Oooooh yeeeeah?! Let’s see if you can handle my fabled blue attack!"

The sound of bones crashing together… doesn’t move any closer, but it is louder now… and coming from above me too… from what sounds like a larger vertical distance… above my head.

There are now two sets of bones, one above me, the other below me.

Loop until the end of the chapter.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=64cvrwzrmhU

[Oh thank Alvis they’re just blue bones—]

{Bluuuue?}

[Blue-colored bullets are avoided by not moving.] Chara explains. [Normally you would have first seen… felt… them if you fought Doggo but... he didn’t notice us. That and we walked far away from him. I knew you didn’t like dogs so I directed you to take a different route.]

{So I just don’t move and I’ll be fine?}

[Yeah!] Chara… doesn’t sound like themselves. [Papyrus is just testing you!]

They sound like they’re… reassuring themselves…

That… never happens.

[He’s seeing if you panic and move or not. He’s fighting you, but not in the most--]

Chara stops dead.

[Dangerous way possible.] they feebly finish, after a couple seconds of silence except for the moving bones.

{Chaaaaaraaaa…? What happened?}

Before Chara can answer, Papyrus yells louder, deafening even over the sounds of the two groups of bones.

YOOOOOOUUUUUUU’RRRRREEE BLUUUUUE NOOOOW! THAAAAAT’S MY AAATAAAACK! GNEH HEH HEH HEH HEH HEH HEH HEH HEH HEH HEH!!!”

“{That doesn’t sound evil…}” I can’t help but notice… and snark.

“Blue?” I repeat. “So I can’t move?” I try moving my arms and legs, but find that I can’t lift either of them. After trying to lift up my arms a little from my sides, my shoulders slump back down, forcefully and painfully.

I then try curling into a ball, tucking my head against the front of my bag and my knees close to my torso, but my legs force themselves back to an unbent, vertical position. My entire body feels…

Heavy.

{Chaaaaraaaa?! Why do I feel--}

“{[AAAAAAH FUUUUUUCK!]}”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> RichaadEB's glorious cover of Bonetrousle was only added to the chapter as of 10/14/2017... I don't know how it took me soooooo looooong to get around to adding it but... it's here now! The original URL is:
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=64cvrwzrmhU


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> To anyone who wanted a hard Papyrus fight not related to the genocide route, here you go! To anyone who wanted a serious and genuinely angry Papyrus for reasons not related to the genocide route, here you go! This fight is... frankly the least of my problems relative to the other boss fights I'll be... bodied in...
> 
> Also horray for the most serious arguing Chara and I have done yet.

13

Loop until the next note.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=64cvrwzrmhU

“{[AAAAAAH FUUUUUUCK!]}”

{Why are we--}

[Blue magic simulates manipulating gravity!]

{Only simulate?}

[What you think monsters can bend reality and make—screw it later!]

{But the hell? What—how--}

[Come on I know you know how real gravity works! It’s literally rocket science!]

{You… move faster in the opposite direction…?}

[You achieve escape velocity? Yeah. Juuuump!]

I jump, trying to distract myself from the fact that I’m jumping off of air… through air… instead of a flat, solid surface. My arms and legs pull upwards, as if I was jumping on the ground,and the group of bones below my feet become a little quieter—

[Fuck the other group of—there goes our health… it’s at fifteen. And no it’s not at three-fourths it’s half because sleeping in the inn made it go up to thirty.]

{I should sleep in—}

[Later! Eat something!]

I touch the front of my bag, chewing and swallowing the second monster candy as Papyrus pulls me downward toward the bones again. “I can almost taste my future popularity!” he shouts at me.

{So that’s what he wants?}

“Not by attacking a civilian you’re not!”

[Duuuude…?]

{What it’s true!}

◾[Jump agaaaaain!]

I oblige, Papyrus shouting after me, “Papyrus: head of the Royal Guard!”

[Noooo!]

{Whaaa—fuuuuck! Oooour heeeealth! Why is it thirteen! I thought—}

[Papyrus moved the second set of bones so we can’t jump up as far. And he moved the bones below us also. There’s about twenty-one, twenty, nineteen? Feet between them now. Not twenty-five or six.]

{Oh noooo… you don’t mean he’s just gonna…}

[Maybe… I hope not.]

”{[Aaaaaaaah!]}” Chara and I scream again as Papyrus sends us toward the ground. “ “Papyrus: unparalleled spagettore!” he proclaims.

“That isn’t even a—“

[Shut up! Do you really think that’ll help?!?]

{What it’s--}

[Spagettore is really a—nooo! Not… not again! Not like this! Anything but this!]

{You’re scared? Haven’t you seen Papyrus fight before?!}

[Yeah but--]

Chara stops. [Just… heal okay? You have all the Cinnamon Bunnies, two Monster Candy, and the pie. That should be…]

Chara stops again as Papyrus jerks on my body using magic another time. “Undyne will be very proud of me! King Dreemurr will trim a hedge in the shape of my smile!”

“You’re fucking crazy! You’re making someone proud by hurting me! If you want to make someone proud who thinks that the only thing you can do about me is to hurt me, then fuck Undyne too!”

[Oh nooo… you did it now…]

{What now!?}

“And Asgore hired Undyne so he can go fuck himself too!“

[Oh dear God if you could see Papyrus right now…]

{What!?}

“He has no right to be a king!”

Stop the Bonetrousle.

Loop until the next note.

https://materiacollective.bandcamp.com/track/cave-of-monsters

Suddenly, the sounds of the bones vanish as I drop like a stone. [We’re… seven? Eight? Feet aboveground now. Like, Papyrus could reach up and grab you himself if he really wanted. And before you ask yes he’s that tall. You’re just facing in the opposite direction from before. And papyrus is walking so he can face you.]

I hear crunching noises below me. Papyrus walking toward the spot directly below me… most likely. “Human,” he says in a… normal human volume range… “I can withstand my brother’s horrible puns. I can even tolerate his constant laziness, and his excuses to take naps at all times of the day—“

“Actually,” Sans calls out, “those naps at nighttime? That’s called sleeping—“

“Silence Sans!” Papyrus’ voice returns to its usual volume as he reprimands him and turns his head a little to one side, most likely toward Sans.

“What I propose,” he turns back to me, his voice lowering in pitch and losing any semblance of humor, “is this: you require assistance to help you get to the barrier. And I aim to become the head of the Royal Guard by capturing you.”

“So?”

“If you come willingly, then you will be under my protection. Undyne would not, no! Could not, Hurt you then!” he seems a little optimistic and more like his normal self again.

He turns his head a little to the side again. “I will even allow Sans to supervise, as he knows much more about visual repairmen than—“

“It’s visual impairment not visual repairmen!” I can’t help but correct. “If you don’t even know what my disability is how will I know you’ll even listen to what Sans—“

“I was about to explain that. I, the Great Papyrus, had the foresight to expect you would disagree. Because you are not nearly as intelligent as I. Because I have come up with an offer you can’t refuse!”

“Which is…??”

{This better be good…}

[Yeah…] If Chara could speak aloud, their voice would squeak and crack all at once in fright.

“If you apologize for defiling our king’s name and admit I have japed you, Sans and I will escort you to Undyne, where you can apologize to her yourself, with us there for protection! And where you can personally tell her I made this offer to you, so I will have control over your custody rather than her.”

“And who knows,” he begins to sound optimistic again, “if she entrusts me with the responsibility, I may also have an influence over what Asgore does with you. I can ensure that he takes your soul in a humane way.”

[I didn’t expect this. And frankly: Paps may be scaring the living crap out of me, but, I like this. He’s, serious and stuff now.]

{I wanna take it… I really do.}

[I mean, I might too… if I wasn’t armed. If I was… not so much.]

{Papyrus at least is letting Sans accompany me to make me feel better.}

[He acknowledges that Sans is your lifeline down here. Papyrus might not like Sans’ puns, but him taking care of you is making him less lazy. Mostly. Getting Sans to be less lazy is, like, his thing.]

{And he was doing that by telling Sans to help him capture humans… so me…}

[True…]

{He’s even… protecting me… from Undyne… and in the process, Asgore.}

[Paps has been training under Undyne for several years now. She’s known the Canine Unit for longer but she knows him best. She’d trust his judgment. I think.]

{He’s… stopped to talk to me…}

[Well he’s, not quite so hot-blooded as to challenge you--]

{But that’s what he’s doing right now!}

[Oh yeah… But He’s just doing what he’s been told to do: to fight and capture any humans who come down here. He’s just following orders.]

{And he’s come to his senses and realized how fucking horrible he—

{Wait he’s basically making me say he beat me! He’s making me surrender!}

[Yeah.]

{And he’s making me apologize to him! And undyne! And Asgore!}

[Truuuue…]

{Fuck no! Asgore hired Undyne and Papyrus wants to impress Undyne. So he’s under the king’s orders.]

{Oh yeah… I mean not exactly he’s still in training but… he’s basically a Royal Guardsman in everything but name…?]

{How do I know that Sans can actually do anything to help me if Papyrus brings me to Asgore?}

[… You don’t. We don’t. Normally I’d say that Sans could help you but… I’ve never seen someone insult Papyrus’ honor like this. And I wouldn’t be surprised if…]

Chara gulps… somehow. [I wouldn’t be surprised if Sans backs up his brother.]

{What if he just kills me? I can load but… if he takes my soul then… can I even come back from that?}

Chra squeaks in reply.

{No! I can’t! I… I’ll kill him! And if Undyne! Asgore! Whoever! Thinks I’m doing wrong I can say it was self-defense! Because he forced me to fight! I never asked for this!}

“If you wana fuck with me then why the fuck should I take your word!? Why the fuck should I care about what Undyne thinks? She probably wants to kill me the first chance she gets! If I was armed I’d kill you myself! And anyone watching couldn’t say it was murder because you forced me to fight. And—“

“Oh?!?” Papyrus’ voice becomes slightly louder… and somehow more… devious.

{Screw that he didn’t sound evil before . Now he does…}

[Yep!] Chara squeaks.

“Now,” Papyrus’ voice rises in volume… and becomes angrier with every word, “I have no choice but to use my special attack! Behold!”

A grinding sound behind me… and my body flying backward…

Toward the grinding sound…

{Why are we…?}

[Flying backward? …] Chara observes.

{[Oh no…]}

{Whaaa--}

[I never knew Papyrus could…]

{Could what!?}

[I never knew he could use magic to simulate gravity… besides up and down... also braaaaace yourseeeeelf!]

{Why?}

I gasp as my back slams into… something…

[Hooooly crap that’s a big bone…]

I can’t tell whether Chara seems impressed or terrified.

{What--}

[Your back is up against a reeeaaally tall bone… like it’s as tall as Papyrus and then a couple feet more--]

{Which is—}

[Like… nine… no ten… nine and a half feet? Of magic bone?]

{Oh I’m being held in the air—fuck! And pelted with bones while being magically bound to a fake bone! Thaaaaat’s sooo much better than if it was a reeeeal bone!}

[I… I didn’t know he’d… I’m sorry!]

{What??? Chara…? Are you…?}

They sniff. [Don’t worry about me. Just… say sorry to Papyrus! I’m sure he’ll--]

{No! Why should I apologize to him when all he’s done is--}

Chara sniffs some more. [Our health is at twelve. We should… eat things… but not whole things. That’s a waste…]

I eat a third Monster Candy and half a Cinnamon Bunny, so I reach twenty-eight health out of thirty, but Papyrus’ attacks soon reduce it back down to twenty again. [You should bought the Manly Bandana… it had seven defense instead of three! But noooo! You just had to—]

{Chaaaaaraaaa! Why the hell should I wear dead kids’ stuff! It’s—}

[Then why do you still have the Faded Ribbon on? Why didn’t you just leave it behind when I told you that the Tough Glove belonged to Ally?]

I take a sharp breath, temporarily… blocking out… the pain of Papyrus launching bones at me. {I… I… forgot…}

A laugh worse than Papyrus’. Even worse than Flowey’s.

[Oh you think you can tell me whaaat’s right and wrong can you? At least if you’re gonna act like a total do-gooder then do it all the damn time.]

Chara laughs again. [Well go on! Take it off! It belongs to a dead kid. So it should be respected. It doesn’t matter you’re going through your items faster! You’re preserving something that belonged to one of the idiots who came down here and didn’t take the time to look around and observe everything! And that’s what matters.]

I slowly raise a hand to my hair, brushing the Faded Ribbon with my index and middle fingers, about to pinch it between them and my thumb so I can pull it off and toss it away. Without it, every time Papyrus attacks me, I will take three more damage than before.

I have seven-and-a-half healing items left… technically more if I divide them up.

Energy drains from my body as I sense my HP dropping to nine out of thirty. Touching a hand to the front of my bag, I eat a Monster Candy and a Cinamon Bunny, gaining twenty-one HP in one sitting.

My bag…

“My bag! It has defense stats! At least I think so since Toriel said I can use it as armor. But how much?”

[Oh yeah. I don’t know how much though. She never said…]

{So… why have I been worrying about the Faded Ribbon! I don’t need it! I can just remove the back half of my bag and put it on in front of the first half.}

I unbuckle the back half of my bag from the main frame, readjusting it so it overlaps the front half. I move my phone so it is in the llarger, primary compartment of the front half of my bag, so it is closest to my body and farthest from Papyrus’ bones.

{Why didn’t you think about the bag’s defense stats?}

[I… forgot…] Chara answers sheepishly. [I… didn’t have the right to yell at you like that… I’m…]

{Apologize later.}

[Okay.]

I take off the Faded Ribbon and toss it in front of me, toward the clacking sounds of the bones, quick ripping noises following suit.

As I retract my arm back, I notice that my HP has fallen back down to ten. I reach for my last piece of Monster Candy and the other half of the Cinamon Bunny I started eating earlier…

[Whoa… he went and did it now…]

{Did what…?}

[You know what.]

{Where’s my bag?}

[The bones… they just cut through it. Both parts of it. I saw your phone and phone charger fall on the ground but they’re out of the way of the bones so--]

{But my money! My clothes! My school stuff that I brought down with me. Everything! That bag was--}

**Just make sure you hear enough of her voice to get a good idea of what Undyne sounds like.**

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JAhBWXp-sFc

“NGAHHH! Hey Papyrus! Hold up! I’ll finish the human off myself!”

Stop the music.

I crash to the ground into a heap. I slowly sit up, eventually managing to stand up again. {[Oh noooo…]}

“Papyrus! I commend you for detaining the human for this long. I was just about to come see you, about what you have been posting on the Undernet about a new training method, but,” Undyne’s voice becomes louder as she turns toward me. She was probably facing Papyrus before.

“It’s you.”

{Wow I never thought I’d ever hear someone hate me soooo much…}

[Same… and I’ve heard this before…]

{Before?}

[Nothing…]

Seven. Seven human souls, and King ASGORE will become a god. We have collected six thus far. Understand? Through your seventh and final soul, this world will be transformed.”

“I know. It was one of the first things I was told when I fell.” I reply flatly.

{Just kill me already…}

[You can’t be serious!]

{At least I can take this time to save. Then, if I do die, I can reload and run away. And get the Manly Bandana and the Tough Glove.}

[So you’d steal to keep yourself alive? Even after how you reacted to the Faded Ribbon?]

{If she’s gonna kill me right now then it’s only fair I do what I can to stay alive after.}

[Double standards much…?]

{No it’s not! I can’t defend myself! And at least against Papyrus I had healing items. So now…}

[So you’d use that stuff even though they belonged to Ally?]

{I… … Yes.}

“No. "You know what?" She pauses. *Loop until the end of the chapter.* https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kR54declpAA "NGAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! "SCREW IT! "YOU! "You're standing in the way of everybody's hopes and dreams! Alphys's history books made me think humans were cool... ...with their giant robots and flowery swordswomen. BUT YOU? You're just a coward!”

{Whaaat the fuck?}

[I’m… still confused… and this isn’t even the first time I’ve heard her say this…]

{What is she…? We don’t have giant robots or… flowery swordswomen… yet.}

[Sounds like anime--]

{I think it is too.}

[And I think you’re right…]

{Okay: so Papyrus’ boss has deluded herself into thinking anime is--}

[No! Not at all! I, if we weren’t here I could explain--]

{Like usual…}

[*Sigh…*]

I take a deep breath. “Look I… I’ve talked to some monsters. And I know how badly you all wwanna go back to the surface. But… you think killing someone who can’t even defend themselves is right? I’m not standing in the way of your hopes and dreams!“

“I won’t have any of your wimpy goody-two-shoes-shtick! Oooh! I'm making such a difference by hugging random—“ she interrupts.

“I haven’t hugged anyone! I got chased by three dogs on the way here!” I can’t help to shoot back.

[That’s not helping… the dogs are under her command after all…]

{Fuck that.}

“It would be more valuable to everyone if YOU WERE DEAD!!! Human, your continued existence is a crime! Your life is all that stands between us and our freedom!” Undyne rants.

“So I was right you do think killing me is more important than helping me get home!? Ends justify the means my fucking ass! Fuck you Kant!”

[Whoooo?]

{A… dead guy who said ends justify the means…?}

[A dead guy who would think killing one defenseless human is okay if it means saving lots of monsters?]

{I guess.}

[Oh… no wonder you’re pissed…]

“Enough!” Undyne roars, and in that moment, I am unsure of who I am more afraid of : Papyrus, who at least let me talk, or Undyne… who sounds like a stubborn anime protagonist… but with the power to back it up. Asgore hired her for a reason, after all.

“Everyone's been waiting their whole lives for this moment! I will channel everyone’s desires into every attack! "I can’t lose! "Now, human! Let's end this, right here, right now. On behalf of my people, I'll show you how determined monsters can be! En Guarde!”

{Uh I don’t feel like I’m in an anime at all…!?}

[Same!]

{And I’m not even gonna complain about the English dub sucking really hard!}

[Same!]

{[Oh noooo…]}

{I saved earlier right?}

[Yeah when you sat down.]

{Run?}

[Ruuuuun!]

**Stop the music.**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> These endnotes were only added as of 10/14/2017.
> 
> I've been meaning to add the two Bonetrousle remixes I linked here for... several months... but I was too lazy to do it, for some reason.
> 
> Here's RichaadEB's Bonetrousle again for reference!
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=64cvrwzrmhU
> 
> Here's the link to the other Bonetrousle remix, from "Fallen: An Undertale Tribute" by Materia Collective.
> 
> https://materiacollective.bandcamp.com/track/cave-of-monsters
> 
> Regarding both remixes: who knew that changing the pitch/tempo of bonetrousle could make it feel so different compared to the original?
> 
> As for adding NGAHHHH!!!?
> 
> I couldn't find a version I liked, because apparently, people think that NGAHHH! and Spear of Justice are the same song... so I just used the original instead! It's already pretty daaaaamn goood...
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kR54declpAA
> 
> Now, as of 02/24/2018, I've decided on Visiontale's canon voice for Undyne! It's here!
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JAhBWXp-sFc
> 
> I'm referring to Cellochicita's normal speaking voice, and none of her singing/voice-acting voices.


	14. Chapter 14

14

I lift my foot off the ground and try turning around, but my legs don’t move. {Is my soul--}

[No it’s not blue she’ll explain. She always does.]

My feet fly out from under me.

I’m… we’re… in another fight.

Against Undyne.

While I’m all out of healing items, wearing no armor, and at… ten health.

“As long as you're GREEN you CAN'T ESCAPE! Unless you learn to face danger head-on... You won't last a SECOND against ME!”

[I got this! I just have to help you visualize the shield then you can aaaaah! Noooo! Wait noooo you—we--can’t visualize the shield. Can’t we?]

{What?}

[I can’t make you visualize the shield since you don’t have functioning eyes for me to take control of…]

Chara and I are at five health…

{Oh yeah… since I can’t see, and I don’t know what my own body looks like, even if you know where the… bullets--}

[Spears--]

{Spears are, I can’t use the shield because I never had enough experience seeing…}

{[No no no no no noooo!]}

I tumble through the air, crashing to the ground, face-first. [Uh… Pauline?]

{Yeah?}

[Don’t sit up.]

{Why?}

“NGAAAAAAAHHHHH!”

“GNEEEEEEH!”

{Whaaaat?}

[You don’t wanna know…]

{Whyyy?}

[You wouldn’t believe me.]

{Whyyyy!?}

“Look. Undyne. I can’t say I condone what you did. The kid’s right: you attacked her when she couldn't protect herself. I still would've disagreed with this if she had armor on. But at least if she did she could've proven herself by dodging.”

Sans…? pauses. “And your green soul state's useless to her. She can’t see so she can’t shield herself. You failed to let her face danger head on. You led her to face death.”

{He ain't wrong...}

[Shhh!]

{Whaaaat!?!}

Crunching noises near my head. “And Paps? I… expected better of you.”

[I’ve… never, heard him so, disappointed.]

{Chara? Are you… crying?}

[Yeah. *Sniffle* This is… so unlike Sans to feel like this. Especially towards Paps. And it’s not like Paps to completely ignore what Sans says.]

They nervously laugh. [I mean don’t get me wrong he does sometimes: but not for stuff like this.]

“In the past you'd fight the humans till they were exhausted. But even then you wouldn’t really hurt them.” Sans sounds closer to me now.

As he pauses, Chara whispers, even though no one else can hear, [Oh my… his eyes…]

{But he’s a skeleton! He—}

[I mean, his eye sockets…]

Chara sounds… both awed and on the verge of… making me shit my pants. [They’d only glow like that when--]

{Glow like that…?] I repeat mentally.

[Yeah. When he decides to… show off his true power… his eyes—wait right? Left? If you’re facing him it’s his right eye…? glows a bright blue. So bright it’s almost too bright to look at. I bet if you were sitting up you’d be able to see it—wait!] Chara interrupts themselves. [It’s usually his left eye. But now…?]

{You said eyes before. So it’s both now and not just one?}

[Yeah…?]

“But now?” Sans continues, his voice still sounds like he’s about to tell a joke… a joke about murdering someone painfully, that is… “You’re actually trying to kill her. "And why? "Just ‘cause she’s not a ‘kid’? "She may be a human adult, but that doesn’t make her, invulnerable. I thought you’d know that better than anyone. She was scared of the Canine Unit of the Royal Guard, for Zan—for God’s sake! "And you helped her get away from them too. How could you forget about that?”

[He remembered to not spoil Xenoblade things for Paps, even now.] Chara points out, in the smallest voice I’ve ever heard from them.

“Sans! I—“ Papyrus tries to interject.

“No Paps.”

I cover my ears as a harsh, static-like noise appears… somewhere… near me.

[OH God—]

{Whaaat!?}

[Not one of thoooose…! Anything but oooone oooof thoooose!]

{What are thoooose!?!}

[I’ve only seen him use them in New Home. Not--]

It sounds like Papyrus and Undyne are talking at the same time, but I’m not sure. The… thing… is too loud.

“Look: I know you two can take a few of these to the dome. They only do fifty damage a piece right now. And your defenses are higher than anything down here human or monster-made could provide so it won’t really hurt you if you do.” Sans somehow makes himself heard over the sound of… the… thing…

The noise increases in pitch until I am forced to cover my ears a second time, only for it to decrease in pitch again. However, this lasts for only a few fractions of a second, because the noise goes up in pitch and volume a second time, rising to its first peak.

Then, the ground under me shakes a little, as the beginnings of Papyrus’, Undyne’s… and Chara’s… screams are drowned out by a completely different sound-- Sounds. Two completely different sounds at once. A roaring or crashing sound, harsher than all the previous sounds combined, and a somewhat higher-pitched humming layered on top.

No one speaks or moves for a few, tense seconds… or minutes…

I eventually assume Papyrus and Undyne have left. I turn over onto my back and sit up, only for my hands to slam into… something, a little above my current eye level, Chara screaming again as I do.

It’s smooth and somewhat round where I touch it…

It’s also at least as wide as I am. Okay maybe one-and-a-half times as wide as I am…

[Oh. He shot the laser through the ground in front of them. Good. Well except there’s a hole large enough you could crawl into it with room to spare but other than that you’re fine!] Chara sounds… a little more than just relieved.

{That was a laser?}

[Yeah… well a magical, laser-ish thingy?]

{Where’s--}

[Him and Undyne ran the fuuuuuck away… to only Monado knows where… well he damn well should have run the fuck away! Actually he should have run away sooner but…]

{Whyyyyyyyyyy?}

[It was Sans…]

In disbelief:

{No!}

[Told ya you wouldn’t believe me…]

{ What did he--}

[He used one here in front of all these people? [Daaaaamn! [This better go viral on the Undernet or else--]

Now Chara sounds, excited… and not just scared…

{Chaaaaraaa! What did Sans do!}

“You, uh, might feel like shitting your pants right now—“

"Ah fuuuuuuck!"

[Aaaaaah!]

Chara pauses as if taking a breath. [Aaaaaah!]

They do so again. [Oh God oh God oh God oh Gooood!]

When they pause again, I interject: {Shut up!}

“—and I don’t blame you. Just… as scary as the Gaster Blaster sounds, it’s the least of your problems. I mean, if you shit your pants, you’re gonna have to wash them… and I’d think washing your clothes isn’t the easiest… or one of your happier memories from back home.”

“{[Ugh…]}”

"{[Welk you went there...]}"

[I don’t know whether to make you run the fuck away or not 'cause it’s truuuue…]

{Yeah…}

Someone’s… Sans’… hand on my shoulder. “I… I had to do that. Nothin’ else would scare them away. Paps… he’s never met an adult human before so… I guess what he did was justified from his perspective.”

Sans takes a breath… pauses… “And as for Undyne… same. Same, but worse. And more complicated. "‘Cause yeah: it’s horrible she’s only fought kids. The things is she’s actually received tons of training to deal with human weapons. That’s why she’s the head of the Royal Guard.”

I stand there, running my hands along the… Gaster Blaster… as Sans continues talking. “I mean: I guess she thought that since those kids could dodge, a larger human could actually fight back.”

He laughs… and I’m not sure about whether it’s appropriate, let alone whether to laugh along or not. {It’s not funny… but not quite not funny either.}

[Yeah true… it’s, like one of those jokes that’s funny but horrible so you don’t know whether to laugh…]

“And to be honest: it makes sense. With her training that kind of mindset would apply. Except if you’re talkin’ ‘bout a human with a disability. I mean; I’d think it’d be obvious you couldn’t see when you didn’t look her in the face when she went all anime on you.”

“I gueeeeess…?”

“Look: if you wanna be left alone for a while to deal with this that’s fine." I don't reply. "I’ll have Grillby deliver food to your room. Your phone is safe so you can at least binge-watch something to get your mind off all that.”

[I think Sans grabbed your phone earlier so that’s how it’s safe.]

"{Thank Alvis!}"

[Amen!]

“And I have Tori’s number so I'll call her so she can bring you spare clothes.”

[Thank Alvis!]

"{Amen!}"

[Oh thank God Sans’ eyes aren’t creepy as hell anymore…]

“And,” Sans begins to sound, less, angry and more, typically serious. Brushing his elbow against my arm, I grab onto it as we walk a couple steps, “at least if you’re gonna be scared shitless, you might as well know what you were scared shitless by.”

“Okay…?”

[Nope nope nope nope Nope nope nope nope!]

{Chaaaaaraaa? Why?}

“Ehh, be careful though. They’re, not used to being touched…”

[Nope nope nope nope nope nope nope!]

{What are we touching?}

After a couple minutes of touching the Gaster Blaster… and jumping at every noise it makes, I ask, “Uh… this thing is a skull?”

“A skull that shoots lasers.”

“ooooonly lasers!?”

“What? You want a Gaster Blaster to be capable of shooting miniature Gaster Blasters which shoot lasers?”

[Nope nope nope nope Nope nope nope nope!]

“Uh… no…”

{[*Shudder…*]}

“Are they always this big?”

“Most of the time, the smallest one,”

Sans pauses. “Hmmm. The smallest one I’ve ever made was about… three-fourths, maybe half, the volume of this one. But I know their proportions so I could make one as small as I wanted.”

“How small?”

[For science!]

{Yep!}

“Hold your hands out.”

Sans places… something… in the palm of one of my hands. “That’s a Gaster Blaster about the size of… the two of your fists, thumbs enclosed, knuckles touching, like this—“

He quickly demonstrates with his own hands. “It’s somewhat more elongated than the one I used earlier but it has the same purpose.”

“How do you make the lasers come out?”

“It’s empathetic.”

“heh?”

“I can control them mentally if I visualize the lasers’ flight path well enough. But This one homes in on enemies. It’s not perfect. But it’s accurate down to a… three or four meter radius wherever you point it. It’s enough that you can aim it by ear and so its range covers the movement patterns of most monsters.”

“Whoa… but if a monster gets closer than that to me…?”

“If you can back away toward the nearest open space. And if you can’t it can alter its firing patterns.”

“But how do I make sure I… don’t kill someone?”

“Gaster Blasters’ sizes are usually proportional to their damage. This one adjusts to accommodate the enemy so it results in enough damage to force mercy, but no more. This HP threshold is reached when fired three times. And it conforms to this number automatically.”

“Whaaaat!?”

Sans laughs. “Yeah. I’m, real proud I came up with this so quickly.”

[He diiid this just now though!]

{What!? You said Sans is smart…}

[True but--]

But why only ‘nearly all monsters?’ Are some… really tanky?”

Sans sighs. “Well let’s just say if you need to fire the Gaster Blaster more than three times at a monster you’re screwed anyway. And, the only one I can think of who could place you in that situation now is Asgore.”

“Oh yeah…”

“If you really want to deal more damage it can. It will, hesitate first though. They’re used to me—“

“They’re?”

“Gaster Blasters are, kinda like… those voice-activated AIs on smartphones… except for creating lasers. Not ordering pizza.”

[Duuuude…] Chara bursts out laughing.

{I know right?}

“And since it’s a magical construct bound to you you can’t lose it or have it stolen from you. And it won’t get damaged like your phone can. And if something does end up happening to it somehow my consciousness is bound to it too, so I can also use it.”

“But… why are you giving me this?”

[That’s all you’re asking?]

{Where do I start? Like ‘Sans, you know the United States military would kill everyone down here for just one of these…?’}

[Yeah!]

“’cause if push comes to shove, you need a weapon. One that doesn’t involve getting in close. ‘cause many of the monsters in upcoming areas are… insensitive about humans’ biological limits or dangerous to humans just ‘cause of their physiology. But I… I want to make sure I have control of it too, so it’s not… misused…”

“Fair enough.”

“If you have anywhere you keep valuables at home, find a place like that in your room at the Snowed Inn,” Sans cautions as we begin to walk back into town. “But make it somewhere close to you. So you both don’t lose it and so it doesn’t… wander over to you by accident while you sleep.”[

{Why is he laughing? That’s… really creepy.}

[I don’t thiiink he meeeans it…?]

{Yoooou dooon’t thiiiink?!?}

“IT might do that ‘cause, well, the Gaster Blaster is a semi-conscious weapon bound to its user. If it’s not near you it’ll try finding a way to you.”

We walk through the door of the Snowdin Inn, monsters calling out to us as we pass. When we reach my room, I sit on my bed. “What you want for dinner? Grillby won’t keep track of your gold today.”

{he knows?}

[Well he knows your password… and him and Grillby are good friends.]

{Fair enough…?}

“More bacon…?”

“That’s the spirit. Just… hold onto it until I getback okay? It’ll float at your waist when you walk, sit, or lie down, by default, until you ask it to move or move it yourself.”

Sans… clacks… across the room as he leaves. “You two get acquainted okay?”

“Uh… okay?”

“Just keep cool, okay kid?”

“Okay.”

When Sans closes the door behind him, my bed sags a little on one side as Chara appears. “Well: this happened!”

“Yep…”

“Can I hold it pleeease!? It’s… strangely not scary at all when it’s this small…”

“Seriously!?”

”Yes!””

Heeeeell nooo!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Horray for exposition and being scared all at once!
> 
> Here is the URL of a link to a Steam post which provides a possible explanation for the Gaster Blasters' appearance.
> 
> https://steamcommunity.com/app/391540/discussions/0/492379439682039763/
> 
> Though I've read the post, I didn't specify the Gaster Blasters to look like how this user describes since I've never felt a dog skull, let alone the skull of the species they discuss, so I don't know how I would translate that experience into writing. I've only felt a human skull... so... Honestly, I assumed the Gaster Blasters were human skulls but...
> 
> I accessed this post on December 28, 2016.


	15. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In the aftermath of the Papyrus fight... I've changed a bit... but Chara hasn't changed at all. I find out how I can work without leaving my room, so laziness!
> 
> That, and everyone acts all... sad and culturally relativistic...
> 
> If you don't know about statistics, read the endnotes. Otherwise, ignore them.

15

"So… you're saying that John wrote lots of teenagers' books and his nerdy brother talked about sex a lot because science!"

"Not talked: talks… 'cause SciShow..."

"He has his own channel? Why doesn't he, like, just do everything there?"

"First off he shares it with two? Three? Other dudes... and second I don't know okay?"

As Chara and I scroll through Crash Course's playlists, searching for a new topic for them to learn, I try explaining to them why John might have become a YouTuber… even though I first learned about him through boredom in high school and I don't actually know much about him. "But Hank is sooooo cool!" Chara seems… pretty damn happy as we start Crash Course Psychology over a plate of bacon. "Why isn't he doing everything?"

"Uh… 'cause John does literature stuff… 'cause he writes books and stuff… so Hank wouldn't be able to do the literature stuff."

"But why?"

I am about to answer when someone... knocks on my door… then knocks on my door a second time… and a third time… and a fourth time… then a fifth time… then says: "Knock knock. Who's there?"

"Sans come on!"

{Who's…?}

"Who is it?" I call out. "And Sans why the hell'd you knock so many times?"

"Because all the people profiting off your being bodied also knocked. To be completely honest."

"Robin?"

"Yeah it's me."

"Ugh…"

[Oh God… it's soooo bad... but still funny though…]

{Chaaaaraaaa!}

"Oh! Robin! Why would you say that to her?"

It's the Snowdin Inn innkeeper… and she sounds… offended…

"The sooner you open the door," Robin calls, "the faster you can get back to infodumping us!"

"What…?"

[I think they mean us retweeting every video we watch… every last one...]

{Truuuue…}

I stand from the bed, turning right and walking along the right wall until I feel the front-most wall of the room. As I sidestep to open the door, the Gaster Blaster presses against my waist. I wrap my right hand around it, the sensation I know now as magic flowing through my fingers.

After I open the door and let everyone in, they start talking at once.

"Oh I hope I haven't disturbed you!"

"My sister told me about you and your experience at the shop. I had some suggestions I wanted to put by you before dumping them all on her--"

"Grillby and I came up with a plan for how you can pay for your meals and work for me without leaving your room!"

"Hey hey whoaaa." Sans cuts off everyone else. "Amy? Laura? Guys? Hold up. This wasn't what I had in mind when I said we were gonna come over. And see her. You're not letting her take everything slow. She at least deserves that."

"Whaaa…?"

"We," the Snowdin shopkeeper says slowly, "were worried about you. We were all there, watching the… the fight." She hesitates before saying it.

She laughs nervously. "Well it didn't turn out to be much of one didn't it? Oh I feel awful I shouldn't have--"

"Ehh." I dismiss. "It's okay. You're right though…"

"I'm Laura." The Snowed Inn owner touches my shoulder, then my elbow, then my hand, prompting me to shake hers. "I never felt the need to tell you my name since… well… Snowdin Town's small. Everyone sounds different. Even we know that. And we don't have to learn people's voices just to get to know them."

"Laura? Thanks for everything though. I have no idea of how long I'll be staying here."

"I know. Just… I'm considering taking part in Robin's plan so you can pay me back how you wanted to when we first met. You seemed pretty distraught when you found out how broke you were."

"Yeah… but Robin what's the plan?"

"It's simple. Just, sit on the floor please. It's easier this way." He advises.

I oblige, and I hear the rustling noises of everyone sitting near me, followed by a… metallic noise. "I propose that I send you Nice Creams through this Dimensional Box. And that you wrap them--"

Another metallic noise. "--using this machine Alphys finished just this afternoon."

"Dimensional Box?" I repeat.

"They're like the PC in the Pokémon games. You put stuff in in one box, you can access it in another."

I notice at this moment that Sans sounds like he's sitting directly next to me, on the opposite side to the Gaster Blaster…

"How does it know it's me? And that I'm getting out my own stuff and not someone else's stuff?"

Sans doesn't answer. "It's… complicated. The technology is pretty cutting edge, even now. But I... have some books on it. I can go looking for them if you really want."

"Sure. Robin? What's the machine like?"

"It uses magic to fuse the openings of the wrappers shut. I'll show it to you later."

"So I'll package them here and not outside where your cart is?"

"Hell no!" Robin's.. offended too. "You'll stay here, wrap however much I send you, then put the wrapped Nice Creams back in the box. You just tell me when you received them and when you finished, so I can pay you based on how long you worked, and how many you packaged. This way you can work mostly at your own pace, in a setting you're comfortable with."

{Whoaaa Robin thooooough!}

[Yeah!] Chara sounds, pleasantly surprised. [I never thought he'd do this. This is good though! We can watch YouTube while doing it!]

{Truuuue…?}

"I put this by everyone else," Robin continues. "Grillby and Laura will get your meals to you. But Grillbs wanted to experiment with sending your food to you via the same Dimensional Box, so we'll do that first."

[Don't deny it you're happy you don't have to cook or buy groceries."]

{Yeah...}

[But we'll take those.]

{Yep.}

"And if it doesn't work Laura can just bring them here. You can just text Grillbs your order."

"But how will--"

A… thing… heavy thing… rough thing… fat thing... falls into my lap. "I finally finished it."

{Uh… how can Sans sound out of breath if he doesn't have to breathe?}

[I… don't… know…]

"What is it?"

"Why don't you find out?"

Grillby's Menu as of October 201X

Drinks (alcoholic drinks will not be served to non-cemented monsters)

{Whaaat does...?}

[So no underage drinking?]

{Chaaaaraaa!}

[What!? That happens in college doesn't it? At least that's what you're remembering…]

{Duuude!}

"Well?"

"It's a braille menu! And it's freaking huuuuge!"

"Yeah… formatting everything right… did that."

Sans laughs. "Unless you wanted me to abbreviate each item and put those abbreviations on a flowchart, and then put the full descriptions on a completely separate page. 'Cause double-sided braille isn't a thing right?"

"Ugh…"

[Whaaaat?]

{That'd happen whenever I looked at braille diagrams. They'd put the abbreviations on a separate, not facing page. So it'd be annoying to read.}

[Oh… I see…]

Chara pauses. [Ugh…]

"And before you ask no I didn't hack the American Printing House for the Blind's web site. I looked at the formatting for some braille diagram catalogs."

"Oh thank God…"

"What are you two talking about?"

[Amy's..., like, really lost…]

{I know…}

[Just making sure.]

{Riiiight…}

[What it's true!]

"It's braille stuff. 'Cause what they'd do is--" Sans takes the braille menu from me "is that there wouldn't be braille here. There'd be braille here. So she'd have to flip the page every time she'd want to know what an item was."

"Hmmmm. Interesting. But how is it that the dots here don't cancel out the dots here?"

"You… format it right… and prey."

Sans and I laugh. "Truuuue! I tried doing my own two-sided braille by hand when I was younger… it didn't end well… and I had no idea of why it didn't work. I just put the braille in any blank space on the back side of the page. And when it didn't work right I'd rebraille it… and it'd get even more fucked up…"

"I came here because I wanted to take you up on your offer to show me braille." Amy explains. "I'll be coming after work of course, but, I don't work eight hours. I rarely do. It's more nine-to-two not nine-to-five."

"Huh. I… never thought that was a thing…"

"It's okay. Most monsters don't work forty hours a week. Actually they work more day-to-day, not by week. We have… little need for breaking down time into weeks. But I'm not really the right monster to talk about that."

"I wanted to check up on you every day after we work so I can pay you. And verify your meals' costs so I can deduct that from your pay beforehand." Robin adds. "And besides: we can talk about the… videos you've been posting on the Undernet over the past… day… also. 'Cause I really like them."

"Which ones?"

"The economics ones. I never imagined I'd like this stuff." Robin's excited. "But I read all of The Wealth of Nations, not just the specialization stuff. I wish I'd thought of this sooner."

"It's okay. Well it's not okay but you know what I mean… Like, the only reason you didn't know is 'cause your guys' Inter-Undernet is… kinda slow…"

"As for me," Sans moves the Gaster Blaster to my knee, placing my hand on his own as he holds it, "I had some… news… about Paps."

"Oh."

Everyone sits there for a few awkward… okay maybe a little more than awkward seconds.

"I'll keep it short, okay?"

"Okay."

"Paps hasn't been home since last night. He's been at Undyne's house. I know since he's been posting confused emojis on the Undernet all day."

"All day?"

"And all night."

"How do you know?"

"I," Sans chuckles, "stayed up binge-watching YouTube."

"{[Duuuude…]}"

"I'm actually planning on calling him on the phone when I get home. I'd talk to him face-to-face but…"

[The shrug though…?]

"I think Paps needs some time to process what he saw-"

"Only soooome time!?" Laura interrupts. "That was amazing! Terrifying and not really like you, but that was why it was amazing!"

"Truuuue." Everyone else, including me, agrees.

"Grillby gasped last night." Robin seems either on the verge of panic... or hype. "I've only heard him laugh until now. And he gasped, plenty of times, last night."

"Wait Robin you went to watch?" I ask.

"Yeah. Why?"

"So you didn't try to stop him?"

"I-"

"All of you know him! And you didn't even try stopping him! It's like the fucking Coliseum all over again!"

[Whaaat?]

{Fighting to the death. One dude's a prisoner or untrained. The other is a lion. Or bear…}

[Well that's not really what happened between you guys but this... Coliseum thing... still sounds interesting--]

{Chaaaaraaa!}

[What!?]

"I--"

Amy's voice shakes. She takes a breath and starts over. "It's one of those things where it's sooo horrible. But you can't help but want to see it. You can't help but want to know what happens. Even if it's…"

"Even if it's horrible." Sans finishes. "Or even 'cause it's horrible."

"Yeah." Laura sighs. "I'm with Amy on this one. I was cleaning up and saw everyone walking to the center of town. I only saw it was you when the fight started."

"Even though I'm the only human so I would've been the only one he could've fought."

"Believe it or not no: he mock fights with the Royal Guard. I'm used to hearing him yell at everyone so..."

Her breath catches. "I… I couldn't Believe Papyrus was actually doing it. And you didn't seem to either. I wanted to look away, but…"

She sighs again. "I couldn't. I honestly wanted him to take your soul. And do it quickly. So… at least if you were to die here, it'd be with dignity. Better than being killed by Asgore after having traveled all that way just to die--"

Muffled sobs.

{Whaaat? I... I didn't mean to...}

[Yeah. But that was… deep…]

"You wanted me to die?"

I'm unsure of whether to feel shocked or angry.

{But she's so nice! How could she--}

[Then ask.]

"It's not like that. Dewey's talked 'about the six humans before you a lot."

Sans sounds… tired… and not the kind involving sleep. "He said we were… conditioned… to favor monsters in everything. No matter what--"

Sans abruptly stops. "No matter what Asgore..."

He trails off, but restarts again. "No matter what Asgore did to try to… treat humans with respect, it never sank in."

[The other four's faces though…?]

{Why? What happened?}

[It's… difficult to explain.]

{You can try.}

Chara doesn't answer.

"So Asgore's tried to make all of you respect humans? If he did then why the hell is there the Royal Guard?"

Sans doesn't answer. No one answers.

"My point is," Sans continues, "is that I was saying how Paps has been at Undyne's house. I'm gonna call him… and tell him what you think of all of this. You can say whatever you want to me. And I'll tell Paps what you told me. But at the end of it you have to tell me whether you wanna talk to him in person about this. It doesn't matter when. Just whether you wanna do it."

"Why are you doing this? I... I insulted him. And your king. And Undyne. Why the hell would you back me up? He's your brother, for Monado's sake! Why the fuck would you put me before him?"

{Wait--}

{[Fuck. Spoilers.]}

"'Cause that wasn't like Paps at all. I've never seen him that angry. Not like that."

'I dunno… he seems angry all the time to me.'

"Grillby! Wow! I mean it's true but still… wow! And you have... a... voice thingy now!"

'Yes. I'm grateful Alphys worked on this text-to-speech device at such short notice. Now I can properly interact with my customers and… maybe even follow Robin's lead and hire some employees.'

"Sweet!"

[He's right though…]

{Yeah…}

Everyone else agrees. "Thing is," Sans sounds a little louder, probably because he turned toward me, "I'm not gonna try to tell you you have to give in to what he says. All I want is that you don't feel threatened around him. You can disagree with him all you want. I just don't want you and Paps to... be like this."

I sigh.

"I know. It's… still a lot, what I'm askin', isn't it?"

"Yeah… I just can't fucking believe he'd do that!"

"I can't either. Just… what I said earlier: about Papyrus' reasons and how Undyne basically said taking your soul is justified, from a monsters' point of view?"

"Yeah…?"

"And that this implies that capturing a human sucks but that it sucks less 'cause it'll free all monsters?"

"It didn't seem like you all think it'd suck…"

‘Yes. Frankly I don't think anyone could apologize for wanting Papyrus to take your soul. It's that conditioning Dewey's told us about.’

Grillby sighs, under his own power.

"I guess…"

"Just… do you think you could see yourself talking to my bro about this in a civil setting? Even if what you say isn't completely civil?"

{I… I can't.}

[No, you can.]

{You don't know that.}

[Yeah I do. I know you can do this. You have me.]

{But you said you'd kill--}

[If I was armed. You weren't. Even if we were we couldn't get close to him if we tried. And just 'cause I'm into weapons doesn't mean I'd always wanna use them. Gloves or… bad words…]

{I… I guess…}

[You can pour it all out. And you'll be safe 'cause he'll have to listen to you.]

{Yeah…}

[If you're really this uncomfortable with it at least ask Sans if you can do it in public in front of as many monsters as possible.]

{So Papyrus can be held accountable for what he says?}

[Yeah!]

"Sans?"

"Yeh?"

"Can we do this in public?"

"I woulda been surprised if you didn't suggest that. Sure. Wherever you want."

"Where do you want to meet him?" Amy asks. "Unfortunately you aren't familiar with the Underground yet, so there aren't any places you could go where you're on an equal footing with him."

'How about at my restaurant?' Grillby suggests. 'I can keep an eye on him and any spectators. And if it comes down to it I can ban him from it for a while.'

"Sure."

"And we can stream it on the Undernet!" Laura suddenly interjects.

"Stream it?"

"Other monsters could comment in the chat." Amy adds. "Everyone deserves to see this. It'll be…"

She gulps. "It'll be the first cooperative thing between humans and monsters we've seen in… in ever."

"You guys got Twitch to work? Sans I thought you guys couldn't make new content on the surface Internet."

"Well it'll be more like a TV special…" Amy trails off. "Well not really. TV and Undernet video streaming are the same thing…"

"Huh…?"

"Yeah it's… always been like that."

"Well," Sans amends, "at one point we did use separate televisions, but when we figured out how to get Internet and recreate it, they became obsolete."

{Greeeat. They wanna see me yell at Paps and him body me again in public. Everyone down here's part of a war-based culture…}

[Come on I know that's not what you're thinking…]

{Everyone down here's a Proud Warrior Race G-Monster?}

[Like you're not part of a culture full of them…?]

{No… *sigh...*}

"This could be big." Robin reaches over and touches my hand. "Well. We all know you wanna talk to him. But we should leave what you say up to you. We'll make sure your time here is smooth surfing--"

"Isn't it smooth sailing?"

"Smooth Undernet surfing," Amy clarifies. "'Cause yeah: on days Mettaton streams the Undernet literally breaks..."

. "We'll get this to Reed and Wrighte and Mettaton so they can prepare everyone. In the meantime, here's a Nice Cream you can eat while I explain how to use this machine…"

... "So it's like you're vacuum-sealing them?"

"Yeah. Tomorrow, text me when you wake up so I can send you thirty of these. This machine times how long it takes you to package each one and texts me the numbers. I'd much rather do thirty hours worth of samples but... I didn't know whether we'd have that kind of time."

{How does Robin know... stats stuff?}

[You can ask...?]

{But how?}

[Why should it matter?]

"Robin? Why are you saying I should wrap thirty Nice Creams? Or work for thirty hours?"

"I... did a lot of reading. And that was something I learned. 'Cause...”

His voice drops to a whisper, and he seems to forget he’s talking to someone. “Apparently it's true: statistics can be used anywhere."

"But what are you gonna do with the data??"

"I'll figure out your average time.” He sounds somewhat normal again. “Over the course of... an hour? Two? Three? I can pay you based on how many you wrapped. And on a little extra based on how long you worked. 'Cause if you make a lot in a short period but keep going, it's basically overtime."

"Okay...?"

"Trust me," Laura's voice sounds slightly louder, like she's leaned in close to me, "he was all worried about how much to pay you. And how. 'Cause, like, American minimum wage isn't set..."

"Yeah... I heard it's ten bucks... while some places are paying eleven."

“Well in gold it’d be different... I’ve figured it all out.”

"How 'bout I call Paps now while you do this Robin?" Sans stands up, removing his hand from the Gaster Blaster, which presses itself against my palm more closely. "It shouldn't take long."

"That," he seems on the verge of telling a joke, "and arranging you to meet Mettaton. 'Cause, yeah. You'll need it."

He walks out the door, chuckling to himself, Chara laughing a little along with him. {Chara? Why is Sans all... sneakylike?}

[Nothing...] They snicker again.

"Okay. I'll let you feel my hands while I wrap one, so you know what to do. In the meantime, you can try explaining braille to Amy."

"Uh... sure."

"I already know about the braille cell," Amy reassures me. "Sans debriefed us--"

"{[Whaaaaat?]}"

"The night you came here. Sans showed up just before Papyrus did with some cheat sheets."

“{[Nice.]}”

She hesitates. "That," she says unsurely, "and I was wondering why there's a huge block of ice shaped like Papyrus' head in front of his house with dots on his forehead... I assumed it was braille, and I wanted to know what it said."

"Okay...?"

"That," Laura adds, "and we were wondering how my sister and I could make useful and artsy signs like that for ourselves..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> About the statistics reference from Robin: a minimum of thirty samples is recommended for data sets with a normal distribution, (AKA those bell-curve things they use for IQ tests and grades) like manufacturing processes, so this number isn't just a random one.
> 
> Mettaton is coming soon. That is all.


	16. Chapter 16

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Toriel's back, and she's behaving, strangely...
> 
> Mettaton is coming, relatively soon, I promise.

16

The day after Robin proposes his plan, Toriel visits me to bring me more clothes and new supplies. She seems inspired by the Dimensional Box, and muses about using one for the interior of my new bag, so if it was ever destroyed, my possessions could be moved elsewhere in an instant. "I am glad everyone here has taken your safety and well-being into account."

"Me too. Everyone's been pretty chill about everything."

Toriel laughs softly. "Oh, you've already taken to Sans' puns?"

"I took to them as soon as he made a braille joke--"

"He did?"

Surprise and... delight... from Toriel. [Her face though...?]

{She sounds happy.}

[Just a little more than that...]

She sighs, shifting on my bed. "I cannot necessarily say I am surprised. Sans seems to have worked very hard to accustom yourself to living around here. I am more overjoyed than you could ever know, resourceful one."

"Yeah... everyone's pretty cool."

[Whauw whauw whaaauw...]

{Shut up!}

"I am especially impressed by Robin. He seems very, open-minded, about you working for him. And accommodating for your… circumstances… by finding a way you can work in familiar surroundings is especially reassuring. I am confident you will be able to learn the way, even after..."

She trails off, reaching an arm across me. She presses the Gaster Blaster into my palm. "After your, experience, obtaining this. I would apologize for us monsters putting you through such an ordeal but… that is far from sufficient. Sans, warned me, that his brother could be... difficult to reign in but..."

She sighs. "I never imagined he would... push Sans to do what he did. As for Undyne..."

[She doesn't look happy at all...]

"Unfortunately I am not surprised by her behavior. From what I have heard she is... hot-blooded."

"Yeah... I just can't believe Paps attacked me! I've told Sans this but... we figured something out."

"Sans told me of your acceptance of his offer to talk. I am more than pleased that you did so. Considering your history with people... misunderstanding you... I was surprised you did so at all."

"Yeah... I meanlike, I really didn't want to. It's, hard for me to let go of grudges."

"Then why did you do it? It would have taken so much effort to overcome any fear and anger you were feeling."

"Yeah... but it's not like I'm not angry. I still am. And I want Papyrus to know it too. I’m just, not as afraid anymore."

I cradle the Gaster Blaster in both hands, placing each thumb on each side of the ridge on its head... on top... "At least I can defend myself. And I won't... fuck up while doing it since Sans is also controlling it."

"Yes!"

Wonder and... awe... in Toriel's voice. "I am not surprised Sans entrusted a Gaster Blaster to you. You have carried thousands of... U.S. dollars... of equipment with you for years now, after all. This is essentially free. Sans has explained its... their... operation to me."

She pauses. "I never imagined so much thought could be placed into a... a miniature cannon... but... I suppose their magical nature leaves room for flexibility."

"It's kinda like I... like I own a gun now."

"Yes indeed."

Toriel begins to whisper, and her voice echos off the far wall, like she's turned her head to the side. "I... I wish I had studied how they worked. I wish I had... I should have taken up... if I was not woefully ignorant before, I am now."

"What's wrong?"

Toriel keeps talking. "If only I had asked for... for a computer... then I could... I could talk with you on an equal footing..."

"You can ask Alphys to make you one." I suggest.

When Toriel next speaks, her voice echos less, so I know she's turned toward me again. "Yes. I... I will. I will speak to Amy when I leave here. Hearing of your interactions with the monsters... I believe it is about time I go about purchasing a computer. Because the... the Undernet in your pocket... I must be able to keep up with that." That is..."

She pauses. "That is what... that is what he would have wanted."

"Who? Sans?"

An... awkward... pause.

The pause continues for several more seconds.

Someone's phone rings. After a couple vibrations, I pick it up. "Hello?"

"Hi it's Robin!"

{[Robin thoooough!]}

"Hi!"

"Are you busy?"

"Like, I was just talking to Toriel."

"I know. I saw her walking to the Snowed Inn. It's good I called you when I did. Because I'm gonna send the first hour's worth of Nice Creams. Well according to the numbers you should be able to finish at least three fourths of them in the first hour. Of course this is the very low end, while employing a ten percent margin of error but..."

I laugh. "Duuuude..."

"Yeah I know you'd appreciate how I figured this out. You had a right to know even if you didn’t know about… statistics stuff. I'll send it after I hang up and time you, okay?"

"Okay."

"Oh Robin! I am so glad you have made these arrangements for her," Toriel touches her hand to my wrist, removing the phone from my hand so she can also talk to and hear him. "I never would have known what to do in your position."

"Really it wasn't so hard to think of this. It's just a matter of convenience. This is what I would have wanted... if I couldn’t see.”

“I agree,” Toriel fervently seconds. “Are you ready, my child?"

"Yeah."

Robin asks, "You have the machine with you?"

"It's on the floor."

"Then we should sit on the floor while we talk resourceful one."

Toriel touches my arm as we sit on the floor at the foot of my bed, where Robin placed the machine and the Dimensional Box yesterday. "Good. I'll get a text when you've finished this so don't worry. You can still talk guys. I'll call if anything happens. Bye Pauline."

"Bye Robin. Thanks."

"Yes, thank you very much." Toriel adds on, and I hang up. As I put the phone down, I hear some... plonking noises... from the Dimensional Box. I open it and feel two containers: a cooler with the Nice Creams and one with the wrappers. "I will be quiet for a little bit, so you may take your time and accustom yourself to the task at hand."

"Okay."

I place a couple Nice Creams into their wrappers and insert them into the machine in the orientation Robin specified, closing the lid and pressing the button. After a few seconds of quiet whirring, and some heat emitting off it, there is a soft clicking noise as the lid opens. I touch the newly-sealed ends of the Nice Cream wrappers gingerly, the plastic still warm. I remove them, replace them into the cooler, and continue with the next couple pairs. As I work, Toriel describes the rest of the Underground to me.

“Waterfall is rather… maze-like. The waterfalls themselves will make navigation using auditory cues rather… tedious. Although Sans or myself could accompany you.”

“Yeah… I was gonna ask you guys to come with me anyway…” I admit, removing two new Nice Creams from the cooler. “What’s it like?”

“It is rather humid and muddy, so I packed you shorts and T-shirts. You will be requiring those kinds of clothing for most of the rest of your stay in the Underground, actually, seeing as Snowdin is the coldest area.”

Toriel reaches across my lap, and I hear a rustling sound. “One of the Nice Creams was not oriented like the previous ones. I knew you could have ascertained its position eventually, but… I do not want you to suffer any delays.”

“It’s okay Robin knows I might take a while.”

“Yes I remember, my child. It is just that, Sans wanted to talk to us after you had completed your work for the day.”

“Why?”

“About your talk with Papyrus. But he wanted to tell you the details himself. He notified me first so you could… mentally prepare yourself.”

“Okay.”

I check the Nice Creams’ cooler and count that I have finished about a third of them already. “What did he say?”

“Well,” Toriel begins slowly, “in essence he said that your talk would be visible to everyone, but that the only ones present would be you, Papyrus, and Grillby. The cameras would be configured ahead of time and controlled remotely.”

She laughs a little. “Apparently he asked mettaton to facilitate your talk, but he… was rather indignant about it.”

“Why?”

Toriel can’t stop herself from laughing as she says it: “In Sans’ own words, ‘I’d say it but I’d sound weird. Safe to say it was dramatic.’ Essentially Mettaton wanted you two to have some semblance of privacy—“

“But this is gonna be filmed…”

“Yes, Mettaton was completely aware of that, according to Sans. He said something to the effect that he assumed you would feel uncomfortable if he facilitated the discussion since you have never met him. After all, he wanted you to learn what he sounded like, and he needs time to, adjust, his broadcasting practices.”

“I’ve heard his voice before. Online… on the Undernet… underline? And like, Laura said he’s on TV.”

“Yes, he is a… TV show host. And news reporter. And actor.”

[I never thought Toriel could be so happy about Mettaton…]

{Why?}

“He’s very expressive. I think you will, find him, very open-minded, if nothing else, when you two at last have the chance to talk under more positive circumstances.”

“Nice. Sounds good.”

As I reply, I close the Dimensional Box, laying my hands on its lid like Robin taught me. I lift my hands from its surface as it begins to vibrate slightly. When the vibration stops, I lay my hands on the lid again, speaking Robin’s name loudly and clearly. After more vibrations, the box finally falls silent. It only takes a few seconds for a clang to sound from the inside, and for the lid to pop open a second time.

“Toriel? How does the Dimensional Box know where Robin is?”

“To be honest,” Toriel muses, “I do not know. I… never had a opportunity to study it. I, merely applied variants of the magic operating it to storage within my own home. Why do you ask?”

“’Cause it’s a machine using magic. And Dewey made it sound like only monsters could use magic…”

“Oh. Sans told me of your, quality time—“

She chuckles a bit, “—with Dewey. He has not changed at all…”

She suddenly sounds wistful. “Of course his occupation as librarian would place him in a very favorable position for informing you of how the Underground operates. He was rather persistent regarding this matter, when I last spoke to him. Although his task was to inform the rest of monsterkind instead… although those two tasks are, essentially identical.”

“When was that?”

“It was… oh I do not know how to explain… not too long ago. Maybe… 199X…”

“Two years ago?”

“Yes… more or less…”

She takes it back. “Well… not human years. More… Underyears…”

“Whaa?”

“Underyears. They are… an alternative form of timekeeping around here, primarily used by…”

[Daaaamn she does noooot look happy at all…?]

{Why?}

[You’ll see… hear…]

“—by Asgore’s closest followers.”

{Yeah. I hear it…}

“it is based on the fact that it takes seven souls to break the barrier. It is… seven periods of seven weeks of seven days to an Underyear. 343 surface days.”

“But you told me I fell down in September of 201X…”

“Well… most monsters use the human year since it is much more… compatible… with the human media we are given via the waterfall flowing into the dumpster. September of this year… 2015… is still apart of 201X.”

“When did 201X start?”

Toriel does not answer.

“Toriel?”

She still does not answer.

[*Sigh…*]

{Chara…?}

[*Sigh…*]

Toriel takes a Nice Cream from my hand, and I hear the machine opening soon after. “You are around halfway done now. I can apply the heat to these three Nice Creams, while you ask Robin how many more shipments you will wrap, and when he will pay you. Because afterward, Sans will be coming.”

“Okay.”

I reach over, bumping the Gaster Blaster’s side as I feel along the floor for my phone, only for my phone to… push against my fingertips…

Toriel laughs in delight, :Oh yes!” she exclaims softly. “The Gaster Blaster is semi-conscious. It is like Sans’ second pair of eyes. So he could see your phone.”

After a short, confused pause, I laugh as well, but much harder. “Whaaaat?”

“how else would the Gaster Blaster know the location of your phone?”

“Yeah… truuue… I’ll text Robin now then.”

… “Pauline, this is the last shipment. I will call Sans—“

“I can just text him.”

“But I do not wish to disturb you. You can do this last batch independently. I have helped too much already.”

“Ehh it’s okay… I… I’m happy you came over…”

“You are most welcome resourceful one. I will go out and call Sans then.”

Toriel stands and pads toward the door, which soon shuts behind her. I hear her voice a little faintly in the hall.

[So if Sans can see stuff through that…]

{Yeah…?}

[Shit Sans can see me!]

{So…?}

Chara doesn’t answer. [Just… I don’t know how he’d react to seeing me appearing out of nowhere all the time when you’re supposed to be alone…]

I find Robin’s name in my contacts and text him, asking about my pay. After only a couple seconds of silence, the phone vibrates, alerting me to a notification. I touch my finger to the upper half of the lock screen, where the voiceover says: “Messages: Robin. I’ll send you twenty gold per Nice Cream. So 400 gold in total today. 5:45 P.M.”

I reply with a thank you before answering Chara. {But… he… sleeps… a lot…}

[Yeah, truuuue… so we should be fine. And if he does… let’s just say this isn’t as bad as when he found out about the resets…]

After a few more seconds, Toriel knocks on the door a couple times before entering. “I have notified Sans of your progress. He says he will arrive shortly.”

“Okay. I just texted Robin. He’ll pay me 400 gold today. He’ll probably send it—“

A knock on the door. “Knock knock. Who’s there?”

“{[Fuuuck!]}”

“I… did not expect this…” Toriel… sounds like she’s reacted the exact same way… just without the swearing…

“It’s open… I think…” I call out.

The door swinging open… and the smell of bacon wafting into the room. “Yeh. It was. Hey kid. Hey Tori.”

“Oh hello Sans!” Toriel stands up, walking toward his voice. “Pauline was just about finished—“

“Yeh I know. On the way outa Grillby’s Robin stopped me to give me updates about you. That and to lighten your load by tellin’ me to bring some Nice Creams over.”

“Yeees!”

“Yeh I knew you’d be happy.”

The slap of slippers against the floor as Sans sits next to Toriel, farthest away from me. “I’ll keep this short, ‘cause after this I was thinkin’ we could invite the others over here.”

“Sure!”

“’kay. So. I’m sure Tori told ya about Mettaton wanting to respect your privacy and not freak you out…”

“Yeah…”

“So, he was wondering when you wanted to do this. He’s in no hurry. And neither is Paps. He… actually wanted to take a few days to… sort things out… for real this thime. And not just the stuff in our house.”

“Okay.”

“He’s, taking this pretty seriously.”

Sans’ voice becomes firm… but not… Gaster Blasters incoming… firm. “And trust me: I’ve seen him serious. And this is different. He’s… been looking all over the Undernet for… for things.”

“For what?”

“I’m lettin’ him take care of that himself. I won’t know what he has planned until you do.”

“Huh.”

“How much longer will Papyrus need to prepare himself?” Toriel asks.”

“Ehh… maybe until… the end of this week… so… four? Five? Days? From today. I, we, wanted to know when in the day you wanted to do this.”

“The… morning… morning-ish…? I could get myself to wake up early for this…”

“How early? Paps is… an early bird.”

“Uh… maybe noon?”

“I can get you there quick so you can get it over with.”

“But it is merely…” Toriel calculates. “Maybe a few hundred feet… at most? From the entrance of the Snowed Inn to Grillby’s? Pauline has walked that route before—“

Sans laughs. “Yeah… she has. But not with half the Underground tryin’ to catch a glimpse of ‘er. And or Mettaton. Let alone on the same day…”

[Truuuue…]

“Oh yes… I see. I suppose it is necessary then for you accompany her—“

“Wait.” I interrupt. “Toriel, you’re right. That I know this route I mean. I… I can clear a path for myself, if need be.”

The Gaster Blaster Suddenly grazes my leg so it rests in my lap, between my hands. I cup it, the edges of my hands above the spikes jutting out of its temples. “Like, Sans can shadow me while I hold this. He can follow at a distance… or wait on me or something…”

“Yeh.” Sans sounds confident. “I like that idea. ‘Cause, lots of monsters are reaaaally confused about how you can get around by yourself. I can just have Mettaton tell everyone to not talk so you won’t get overwhelmed.”

“Yeah…”

[Good thing he thought of that… ‘cause if you get freaked out I get freaked out…]

{Yeah…}

“Thanks Sans.”

“No problem. Mettaton may be the most—“

He abruptly stops, only to restart again. “The most well-known monster in the entire Underground, even more than Asgore. ‘Cause yeah… he’s our YouTube star…”

“Nice.”

“Yeah. So… you want me to tell Paps you two’ll meet five days from today?”

“Sure.”

“Okay. Thanks for that. Now I’ll text the others. ‘Cause… I found something we could all do together tonight.”

He laughs… and continues laughing… “Oh man.”

He can’t stop laughing. “I don’t know if you’ve ever heard of it, but it’s pretty damn popular on YouTube. We could learn about human culture. And you can learn why Laura was so horrified by Robin saying him and her and Amy were profiting off your being bodied!”

“Whyy???”

“Why what?”

“Why was she offended?”

“Well… ‘cause Robin was talkin’ to her right before we came over. And… he saw I watched Cards Against Humanity on my computer at my place--”

“{[Oooooh noooo…]}”

“And he made the card combination ‘Step 1: going around punching people. Step 2: a murder most foul. Step 3: profit!’ go together.”

“{[Oooooh noooo…]}”

“Oh nooo…” Toriel gasps. “However… Robin did create a… logical response… so…”

She laughs, somewhat aghast. “I am unsure of whether to laugh or reprimand him for his behavior…”

“Yeah… it’s pretty good…”


	17. Chapter 17

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> FYI, the Cards Against Humanity scenario at the beginning is practically the same as my real life experiences playing the game, choosing random cards each round included...

17

… “Damn it Robin how the hell do you keep getting all the good cards?!”

“How is this card good? We don’t even have cancer down here…”

“{[Ugh…]}”

“I threw it away. I was saving the ‘cheating in the special Olympics’ card for you, but I didn’t want to waste it since this card was asking about why you couldn’t complete your homework.”

“But still! We’ve gone over twenty rounds and I’ve only won… like… one point! And seriously that’s, like, too real…”

“What!? You and Sans said this is supposed to be offensive!”

“That’s not my point!”

“I,” Amy hesitantly replies, “have to agree with Robin on this one. After all, the ‘cancer’ card is only good when played against you…”

“Son of a bitch!”

“Unfortunately most of these are… close to useless… if played against us.” Laura half laughs, half sighs, as she brushes my hand while refilling her hand back up to seven cards. “And come on Robin knew you’d pick it. And this game’s about offending everyone and inevitably playing to the czar so why are you even mad?”

Now, it’s my turn to sigh. “Fine. I suppose. It’s just that… it’s really bad but really good… but really unfair now…”

“I guess.” Robin concedes.

‘I’m the czar now,’ Grillby speaks up, pausing for a fraction of a second before reading his card: ‘How am I maintaining my relationship status? And Pauline, FYI I am single.’

“Uh… okay.” I choose a random card from my hand, hoping it’s relevant this time…

“Hey hey as much I like hearing you guys rage at the cards,” Sans’ voice sounds a little louder than earlier, like he’s turned his head toward me, “but we should probably finish up, like, when someone reaches six points. ‘Cause yeah… the meeting with Paps is tomorrow…”

“Okay…”

“And if you really wanna continue the game longer we can keep track of everyone’s hands and put everything on your table. ‘Cause you, like, never use it…”

“{[Truuuue…]}”

“And besides: I have to make sure paps doesn’t, overdo it.”

“Overdo what?”

“Hey Laura that’s what I was gonna ask…”

“We’re all worried about him. Snowdin’s a lot less, exciting nd interesting, without him around. I’m just curious about what’s been going on with him. Is he at least back at home?”

“No… he’s been askin’ me to send hhim stuff through the Dimensional Box. Clothes. Books. Dry noodles—“

“Druy noodles?” I repeat.

“For spaghetti.” Sans clarifies.

“Oh yeah… ‘cause like, that’s his thing…”

[YOOOOU IDIIIIIOT!]

{I forgot--}

[How could you have forgotten the fucking frozen spaghetti!? And you not eating it triggering him?]

{Fine, fine…}

‘The cards are in,’ Grillby announces. ‘I’ve already shuffled them Pauline.’

“Okay.”

He begins, ‘How am I maintaining my relationship status? Getting married, having a few kids, buying some stuff--’

He pauses abruptly. “What happened?” I ask.

The pause continues for a little while longer before he finishes, his voice much quieter than before, ‘--retiring to Florida, and dying.’

Everyone laughs… and cringes… simultaneously… “Wow…” I manage to say before breaking down incoherently.

“Whaaat?” Laura and Amy’s voices are… muffled…

[They’ve, like, both covered their mouthes in shock… and they’re trying to suppress laughing.’

{I guessed as much… and they’re not doing a very good job.}

[As for Sans… he’s… just laughing…]

“Oh man. I feel so bad for you.” Sans pats my leg as he speaks. “Just… wow… wow…”

“Yeah… this is pretty truuuue…” I can’t help but admit.

‘The second response is,’ Grillby continues, ‘a…’

He trails off. ‘A constant need for validation. Oh…’

Cue groaning from everyone, including Chara…

‘The third response is, guys who don’t call.’

Someone clapping.

[That’s a thing…]

{What is…?}

[Grillby clapping.]

{Oh…}

‘I’m, impressed, and very, very sad that this is even here.’

“Same.” Robin agrees.

‘The fourth response is, being a motherfucking sorcerer.’

“Eh!” Sans and I affirm.

‘I, can’t say I agree with this. But, I can’t say I disagree either. This one… no… the first one wins.’

“Which one?” I ask.

‘Marrying? Retiring to Florida?’ he partially repeats. ‘Who’s was it?’

An awkward silence.

Collective groaning from everyone.

‘Pauline?’

Tangible disbelief from Amy. “I… I can’t believe…”

“Damn it the sorcerer lost?” Robin also sounds disbelieving. “But… this is what we are as a people—I mean as a group Grillby! How could you! You didn’t even read the last card! How could the all you can eat shrimp for $499 lose! You own--”

‘Because,’ Grillby attempts to calmly justify Robin’s loss, ‘I am a monster, who technically only has to worry about a couple of these things. Or even if I have to worry about all of them, it’s not the same. You should at least understand that.’

“Yeah… truuue.” I agree.

“Yeh. Same.” Sans copies me. “But Grillbs? One more and we’re done for the night okay?”

“But you said—“ I begin to protest.

“Yeh I know. But I just realized it’s almost eleven. At least if you’re gonna get to Grillby’s on time, you have to be ready by 11:40 tomorrow morning. And I’m accounting for all the YouTube videos you’ll watch after we all leave in your… sleeping time.”

“{[Truuuue…]}”

Everyone else agrees…

“Okay I’m the czar. What’s my card?”

“It’s,” Amy reads aloud, “blank: that is how I want to die… wow… morbidly relevant much?”

“Yeah…”

More collective groaning.

… “Chara get your own blanket!”

“I did! I just can’t sleep!”

“Stop moving!”

“I can’t! I’m… I’m scared.”

“Yeah… me too…”

“But you know what?”

“What?”

“Before we leave the Snowed Inn, save.”

“No.”

“Do it, in case Papyrus reacts violently. I… I don’t know if we can trust his reaction to be… peaceful… or not… manhandling.”

“Truuue…”

“And besides: you have to stay determined. I told you that back at Home.”

“The Ruins?”

“Yeah. The Ruins used to be called Home. ‘Cause that’s where the monsters lived before moving to New Home.”

“Wait you can’t be serious. It really—“

“Yes it is. Asgore’s reaaaally bad at names.” Chara answers, before scooting to the edge of the bed.

... “Come on I know you’re dressed but just too lazy to get off the bed.”

“Saaaans…” I groan.

“Looks like we don’t have a choice!”

[That Shulk impression tho--ahhhh!]

Someone’s hands on my shoulders… and the Gaster Blaster jumping into my hand before falling back down to my side soon after. “{[Fuuuck!]}”

“Hey I wanted to tell ya about my shortcuts in a more tasteful and controlled environment but…”

“Really? So you can…?” I begin to ask.

“Yeh.”

“So you technically never have to walk?”

“Yeh. But I’m… too lazy to do this most of the time.”

“But you did it just now…”

“Yeh but this is different. Come on, stop stalling. The sooner you leave, the sooner you can get this over with… and the more time we have to think of a new plan if things go to shit.”

“Fine…”

I exit my room, walk across the lobby, and out into the cold, thankful Toriel replaced my snow clothes. After a couple steps, Sans lets go of my arm, and I hold the Gaster Blaster in front of me in both hands as Chara controls my body. It pulses with magical energy, squirming while I squeeze it between my palms, as if trying to… find a comfortable position to sit in…

[…]

{Chara?}

[Nothing… just… is it weird to mention that the Gaster Blaster doesn’t look so scary when it’s this small now?]

{It still is…}

After about a minute more of walking, I turn left and reach out my hand, about to open the door to Grillby’s, only for someone to open it for me. ‘Hello,’ Grillby whispers to me.

“Hey. Thanks for this.”

“No problem. Mettaton is, pretty far away. At the library actually, watching the livestream. Sans will be right outside if you need him.’

A pressure on the Gaster Blaster’s top, and warmth brushing my fingers. ‘Assuming that this is, insufficient.’

“Okay.”

‘I set up a table closest to the door. But sit wherever you like.’

“Okay.”

I follow Grillby’s instructions, taking the first chair I come across. After only a few seconds of waiting, the door opens a second time, and I hear the thud of heavy boots on the floor.

Papyrus.

The chair across from me scrapes outward, Papyrus presumably sitting down.

We sit there for a few tense seconds.

I don’t know what to say. I don’t’ want to mess up. I’m afraid… I’m afraid if I have the first word, I’ll just keep talking, and won’t stop, and Monadodamn it if I’m civil and Sans asking me to be civil…

“Human?”

[Papyrus being so quiet though…?]

{Yeah…}

“Yeah?” I reply.

[Just ‘yeah?’ Even I know you could have at least said ‘yes…’]

“May I?” is his tentative reply.

“May I… what?”

“May I say something?”

[… Whoa.]

{Yeah… this is… different.}

“Uh, sure.”

Papyrus… clears his throat… somehow… and I try not to become distracted by it. He begins to speak, so softly I have to lean forward by placing my elbows on the table.

“I… I know humans customarily greet one another with a handshake… or a hug, but… we both know that is not, appropriate.”

I softly sigh. “Mmm-hmmm.”

“And I, I am aware that my mere presence here is…”

Papyrus hesitates. “Uncomfortable. Unbearable, even.”

[He never stumbles over his words like this. Last time didn’t count. This is real.]

I sit silently, waiting for him to continue.

“I… I cannot begin to express my… my regret… at how I have acted. My regret, however, is not for all the reasons you may assume. I, of course, have come to my senses about my failure… my failure to truly take your disability into account.”

More patient silence. I readjust my position in the chair but continue to lean toward him.

“I failed to listen to you, and Sans.”

He laughs nervously, and I can’t even begin to describe it, because it’s not his typical gneh heh heh.

“To think: I continually blamed Sans laziness for everything, when, in fact, I had failed to pay attention to what he did and said, on the way over here, everything he did to try to make your journey here… accessible.”

Papyrus says “accessible” as if he has just said it for the first time.

[That’s good. Paps knows the buzzwords…]

I put my puzzles and my own pride above all else. Even… even his approval, in the end. All I wanted was… was to be popular. To be prodigious. To be a member of the Roayl Guard.”

I don’t know what to say, but I manage to respond instead of continuing to sit there: “I… I remember that. You said that here, before the fight.”

I continue listening.

[He’s right though.]

{Yeah. But why did he say he regrets what he did but not for the reasons I might think?}

“As much as these failings have hurt you, however,” Papyrus’ voice raises slightly in volume, so I lean away from him slightly, “I cannot necessarily say all of it was my fault.”

He pauses for a fraction of a second, then elaborates, “I saw you leave the library that day. I… I knew you must have learned about us. And about…”

He takes a breath. “And about… what most monsters think of humans.”

“You mean the monster kids’ school reports?”

“Yes. Specifically… that about the advantages monsters possess when compared to humans.”

“Oh…”

“I have gone back there, and read those books for myself, in the time since we last… met. And I… I think I… I have come to understand something…”

“What?”

“That… that I have been raised to act the way I do.”

“Yeah. Dewey told me…”

He stops, a bony hand pressing against one of mine from across the table. “You were right, in a way: Asgore wanted to recruit loyal monsters for the Royal Guard, those who would not hesitate to… to kill humans with no hesitation.”

“Yeh I knew that…”

“But that’s not all. He also wanted to hire monsters who… saw humans as… less than human.”

“Whaaat?” I ask in a hushed voice.

[I’m intrigued…]

{Me too… and I’m not sure what to think about that...}

“I know you know what I mean.”

Papyrus’ voice cracks.

[Whoa.] 

{Yeah. What does he…?}

“I treated you like an object.”

[Wait. Papyrus--]

{Oh my God…}

As Papyrus begins to sob, both his hands press on top of mine, while I still hold the Gaster Blaster. “I treated you like a… a thing… to be bought and sold. To be used however I pleased. Not a… not a conscious being. That was wrong of me. That was very wrong of me!”

A few seconds of crying. I am unsure of what to do, so I continue letting him cup my hands in his.

“If there was anything…”

Hiccupping which should be impossible…

[Whoa… his face though…]

{What!?}

Chara doesn’t answer.

Papyrus sniffles… somehow… “If there was one thing I was taught growing up, it was that humans and monsters must be treated with respect, here or on the surface. That their… dignity… as conscious, independent beings, must be upheld. At all costs.”

{Whoa…! This sounds like something they’d say at my school though…!}

[Huh. Interesting. What was it like?]

{It’s… difficult to explain. But… let’s just say this stuff is… was… their thing.}

[Oh!]

“I… I failed you. I’m… I’m sorry. I, I know you probably can’t forgive me but… if there is anything you wish to say to me, now is the time. I said such terrible things to you. It is only fair you do the same. I said my then-honest opinion of you. If you wish to do so to me, do it now.”

I compose my thoughts for a few seconds.

{Don’t swear. Don’t swear… just don’t do it… Sans said to be civil… I have to…}

[Stay determined. Everything is going to be all right.]

The most soothing voice Chara has ever used.

I slowly reply: “Papyrus?”

“Yes?”

I sigh. “I… I can’t say I’m not angry at you. I… I still am. I still can’t believe you’d treat me like that, just for your own personal gain. Or for the sake of someone so… terrible… as Asgore… which seemed, still seems, the same to me...”

I pause for a moment, then continue, “And to be honest, if it weren’t for Sans controlling it, I would have found you and fought you with the Gaster Blaster, and not given a shit whether you lived or died. As long as I could… prove I could do things on my own. As long as I could prove that being blind didn’t make me weak. I’d do it.”

I collect my thoughts again. “But what you’re saying about individual dignity, I get that. If there was one thing I learned from my time in college, it was that they respected individuals. The president said professors taught students by, by ‘educating the whole person.’ They call it the three Cs: competence, compassion, and conscience. All their classes helped with one of those. Hell even their engineering program talked about taking compassion into account when designing things.”

“Oh.” Some energy returns to Papyrus’ voice. “That, makes sense.”

“Like… I can’t say I’m much better than you. If it weren’t for Sans I wouldn’t have thought of coming to talk to you. It took everything I had to even listen to Sans when he said you wanted to talk instead of driving him away and cussing him out and calling you really really horrible things...”

Papyrus asks, more of his usual passion returning to his voice, “why did you take it then!? If Sans had not… stepped in… I do not think I would have done this either.”

I respond with no hesitation. “’Cause, I thought you realized how fucking horrible you were for treating me like that and I wanted to hear you say you were wrong and I was right and that your king was stupid for hiring you for the Royal Guard—“

[You swore…?]

{Shut up!}

“I know.”

Papyrus’ voice softens again, calm, but somewhat louder. He’s leaned in closer to me. “I realized this, after reflecting on how we talked to one another, up until, I hurt you.”

I wait some more.

“And, I suppose, we are not so different after all, in some ways. We are not so different in ways that matter. But not all of them.”

“Okay.”

“I am unsure of how aware you are of this, but you seem… tired… right now. It pains me to see how much pain and suffering I have caused you, on top of what you must feel constantly, considering you have fallen into a wholely new place.”

“Yeah…”

[He’s not completely right, isn’t he?]

{Yeah…}

“I will keep this brief then: we can both agree that we disapprove of Asgore’s policies. Yet I cannot help but acknowledge that my family upbringing has failed to completely trump the influence society has had on me, regarding humans.”

“Yeah.”

“You also see the effects monsterkind has had on me. And you are justifiably angered by them.”

“Yeah. Definitely.”

A short pause.

Uncertainty in Papyrus’ next few words. “I kno we cannot change monsterkind overnight, but…”

Papyrus pauses, his voice having regained most of its usual volume when he next speaks. “But there is something we can do. I propose that you, as well as our finest experts in as many disciplines as possible, human or monster-made, gather to try to find a nonviolent method to break the barrier. Surely, you must know something! You have been to college!”

“Uh… not for that long… and you guys have the Undernet, so why ask me?”

“Because you are the only human reference we have.” He decisively states, his chair scraping against the floor as he stands. “As intelligent as us monsters are, we are still, severely lacking, in many areas regarding humans. And, seeing as you are amongst the minority of humans, you must have extensive knowledge of how humans think society should function. Maybe that knowledge is the key to undoing the magic sealing us underground. After all, humans did it. They had their motives. And motives and emotions power magic. You know this!”

“Yeah that’s true!” I’m a little more than surprised by Papyrus’ sudden outburst and his idea. “I don’t know if I could go that far, but…”

“Nonsense!”

I gasp in surprise. “Oh—“

“I am sorry.” Papyrus stops shouting… proceeding to talk at slightly less than his usual volume for the moment. “I am just… excited. We have never met a live human to examine the effects of monster magic on who was able to help us. That had been the one thing that had stopped Dr. Alphys and—“

Papyrus stops again. {What is it this time?}

[… I’d say you know but… you don’t.]

{But what is it!? Why has everyone been, like, stopping what they’re saying in the middle of it all of a sudden?}

[I’ll help you find out. I promise. You’ll be seeing Dr. Alphys soon. She can tell you everything. Sans and Papyrus will make sure she does.]

{Okay…??}

[I mean it.]

“Uh… sounds good,” I respond, trying to bridge the awkward silence.

“Okay then!” Papyrus lets go of my hands, his boots thudding against the floor as he walks to my side of the table. I stand to face him.

He touches one of my hands with one of his, which breaks contact with the Gaster Blaster. He does the same to my other hand, and then I hear the clunk of the Gaster Blaster being set on the table. I am unafraid of its absence.

“Human—oh! I am sorry! I should not, I cannot, call you that anymore. Pauline?”

“Yeah?”

Some scuffling of boots on the floor.

Papyrus manipulating our hands so our palms press together. I notice that his hands are truly level with mine now, seeing as our wrists also press together, at my shoulder height, so our hands partially cover my—

Our, faces.

Papyrus has knelt down--

No.

He’s not kneeling.

He’s sat down on the floor.

Papyrus has sat down on the floor in public, live in front of everyone, just to be eye to eye with me.

When he next speaks, his voice resonates through my body, not just because of his closeness, but because I sense magic flowing into me from his palms, from his entire being. His voice sounds deeper than normal, to the point that He sounds completely different: intelligent, dignified, and yet, somehow… eager. All at once.

“I, Papyrus Wingdings Gaster, second-in-command of the Royal Guard, humbly ask you to accept my offer, on behalf of the Dreemmur royal family, the Inertia Society of Royal Scientists, and all monsterkind.”

{…}

[How the fuck can we top that?]

{… I know! Just… what the fuck!?}

Chara seems… just a little more than confused now. [No way. He didn’t just--]

Before I can verbalize my confused mental reaction, I reply “Okay.”

As I finish speaking, Papyrus presses his palms against mine, and in the process, my palms press against his as well. After a few moments, he readjusts one of my hands so I am holding onto his wrist. I feel his weight shift as he rises to his full height, and he places the Gaster Blaster in my free hand. “We mustn’t delay! We must rush to see Dr. Alphys as soon as possible!” he shouts, his voice still… deep… and smart… and dignified-like…

As we walk out the door, I hear two sounds.

First, I hear Grillby’s unrestrained laugh of pure joy.

The second is… someone’s voice calling out over dozens of shouts, if you could call all of the noises the monsters were making shouts.

“Don’t any of you know the meaning of decency!? Let them through! I specifically forbade cameras here for God’s sake! I am the reporter here. Oh Pauline darling, I am soooo sorry for all this. This wway to the River Person please. I’m right here, don’t you worry. If you and Papy ever get separated, follow my voice. And don’t be afraid to break out that Gaster Blaster to clear yourself a path through these oh so rude spectators…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You officially have an out to determining which college I attend now...
> 
> No shame. It's a good school. Same goes for my high school, although I've yet to give you all an out to figuring out which one I attended yet...
> 
> The professors are awesome, so awesome that they've supported me whenever I've found a reason to write about video games in their classes. I've done so every quarter so far since my freshman year started. Even now, in October 2017, it's still true.
> 
> Actually, it started in my senior year of high school, but still...
> 
> This fanfic has allowed me to apply the communications, psychology, sociology, philosophy, statistics, and physiology concepts I've learned to a... somewhat realistic and definitely relevant... subject in my life. I'm not even sure of how to begin articulating how grateful I am for that.
> 
> Actions speak louder than words, I suppose.
> 
> What's even better is that what you've read is only the beginning.
> 
> Making my high school and college experiences plot-relevant is only fair.


	18. Chapter 18

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A somewhat filler chapter... meaning a chapter that's not nearly as immediately lore or emotionally-heavy as the chapters before it.
> 
> It's about time we had one of these...
> 
> Also, let the memes, references, and Xenoblade spoilers formally begin!

18

"Papyrus!"

It only takes a few seconds for Papyrus and I to become separated. I can't even begin describing how overwhelmingly loud, and confining it feels. I already hate regular, human crowds, where basically everyone is taller than me, their bodies restricting my auditory range so I must walk much closer to an object to avoid it.

Monster crowds are... much worse...

{Nope nope nope nope nope nope!}

"Actually," the voice calls out again, "let's go to your house Papy. It's much closer. It's near where you two fought--"

A sudden swell in noise, so I can't hear the rest. I shout "Sure!" back at them anyway.

[Thank Alvis we can still hear him...]

{Him?}

[Yeah he's a he.]

{Okay.}

"Oh for God's sake Aaron she can't see you flexing knock it off!"

{Heh?}

[Don't ask...]

"Human! Please! Use the Gaster Blaster to clear a way toward us! Do not worry. I am confident my brother found a way to adjust its firing patterns to account for you navigating through crowds."

I grasp the Gaster Blaster in one hand as if balancing a tray, its rounded shape obviously changing it slightly. My right palm presses against the magne ovale in place of the usual tray's flat surface, fingers curved against their mandible. My thumb supports the occipital bone, the bone at the back of the head. I hold my other arm up in front of my face, the edge of my palm facing outward to protect myself from eye level obstacles. Despite Chara’s control over my body making walking independently faster and less hazardous, I remember this technique saving me from hitting poles in high school. Unlike stopping using my cane, this habit will not be given up so easily.

I sweep my arm in front of me, in a similar arc to the arc created when using my cane, except I am clearing an approximately shoulder width space, from my shoulders down. When I used my cane, my hand and wrist would be at waist height and therefore, would be scanning that area. 

The whine of the Gaster Blaster has just begun ringing out before I sense monsters moving around me. The space in front of me feels properly cold, rather than stiflingly hot from bodies pressing up against me. I walk faster, knowing I can follow Papyrus and... the other guy—the other monster, more freely.

[Uh... it's good we're wearing snow shoes 'cause the snow's all... melty and gross now...]

{Why?}

[The Gaster Blaster. It’s not as bad as Sans’ Gaster Blaster but still it did a number on the ground. We really need to come up with a name for them--]

{Chaaaraaa!}

[I’m serious the Gaster Blaster is basically Sans with only a head it’s only fair--]

{Chaaaaraaa!}

[We’ll talk about this later. Just aim it again. A few more rounds of this and you'll catch up with Paps!]

{Okay.}

After another cycle of whining and rumbling from the Gaster Blaster, I now recognize that we're on the sidewalk again. After a few more feet, the... other monster... with Papyrus calls out, "When you reach the end of the sidewalk keep walking toward us. You will walk across the space in the center of town where you and Papy had your fight. Then you will feel more compacted snow and stone. That is a residential sidewalk."

"Okay."

After one more use of the Gaster Blaster, I reach the new sidewalk, Papyrus shouting, "This way! We are both standing in front of our house, Sans' and mine."

"Okay!" I confirm.

It only takes a few dozen more feet to reach Papyrus... or rather it takes a few dozen more feet for me to turn off the main sidewalk and walk straight into Papyrus...

[That's, not normal...]

{Nope. People usually get the fuck out of the way but I don't have the stick of doom anymore so--}

[… Whaaat?]

{A girl in sixth grade named my cane the stick of doom... and it stuck...}

[Oh... I like it.]

"Take my hand human." Papyrus gently removes the Gaster Blaster from my hand, positioning my fingers on his wrist as we walk toward his house. "The mailboxes are to our right. And the path leading behind our house is to our left. You must walk up two steps to reach the front door."

"Papy? I am very glad you are describing all this, I really am, but we may need to save the tour of the outside for another time. The crowd's catching up with--oh Sunderplane! Ooooh heeeeell nooo!"

{Whaaat?!}

[It's a long story...]

{As always...}

[Seriously what Sunderplane did was... weird.]

{...}

Papyrus leads me up the stairs, and I hear the click of the front door being opened. We walk inside just as some voices... grunts... clicks... begin sounding behind us, louder and louder.

"Sans?" my newest monster sighted guide calls out. "A little help here?"

"Sure."

Only when I hear the quiet slapping of slippers on carpet and feel a bony hand uncurling my fingers from around Papyrus' wrist do I realize Sans is near by. He walks past me and out the door onto the porch.

The voices and noises quiet down all at once. It only takes a second for the footsteps... beating of wings... other sounds... to recede away from us.

The thunk of the door as it finally shuts, and the four of us stand... somewhere... in the house.

"Well kid? You're here now. Glad to have you."

"Uh, should I take my shoes off? 'Cause like, at a lot of my friends' houses… and my cousins' houses… we do that…"

"Ehh."

A verbal shrug from Sans. "Take 'em off. Just put 'em somewhere--"

"Nonsense!" Papyrus interrupts. "You ask her to take her shoes off while the living room is still--"

"I just teleported to her room. I brought her stuff here and like, just set it down. I woulda cleaned up but I was watching you guys come over here through the front window. And besides: I wanted more direct control over the Gaster Blaster from here."

A heavy pause. "I… I am sorry for yelling at you like this Sans. Just… I am used to…"

Papyrus doesn't finish his sentence.

[Whoa Paps looking hella sad though…?]

{Yeah… he sounds really sorry.}

"Ehh. Bro, you're not wrong. I still haven't cleaned up upstairs. We can go do that, while Pauline gets to know Mettaton."

"Yes. I agree. Pauline, the sofa's up against the right wall, about... ten feet, from you, diagonally. Mettaton will be sitting to the right of you. I will accompany Sans to make sure he actually puts effort into cleaning up."

"Okay that works."

When I sit down, it only takes me a moment to realize that the sofa feels, very sunken, under me.

"It's a pleasure to meet you darling."

{Heh?}

[Why you confused?]

"Hi."

[Seriously, like, why you confused?]

A cold... thing on my folded hands. I flinch back, only for… the thing… to envelop them.

Someone... Mettaton... is touching my hands.

Mettaton reorienting my palms so they press against... his metal palms... like what Papyrus and I did earlier. Afterward, we engage in a traditional handshake. I can't help but be fixated on his hands. His... metal... hands...

A long, dramatic sigh. "It has been a long time since I have performed that handshake."

"That palm thing?"

"Yes, precisely. It has been... oh, twenty years? Since I've performed the Inertia Society handshake, and the first time I have performed it in this new body."

"New body?" I repeat.

Metal clanging on metal. "{[Fuuuck!]}"

"Oh how could I forget? I, I should have made time to meet you before today. Well, in retrospect, no one is nonplused by me being a robot so--"

"Wait whaaat!?"

"Oh dear."

More than a little concern from Mettaton. "Well to be fair I used to be a super fighting robot; that was my intended purpose, but--come on darling I know you know what I just namedropped."

{I was laughing?}

[You weren't but... your face, kinda, gave it away... and the only reason I know this is a reference is because of your memories...]

{...}

"Uh… okay. I mean, people... humans... in my world, have been kiiiinda, joking? About what would happen once we had AI but--"

"Don't get me started on your conceptions of robotics." Mettaton huffs. "I've read plenty on the subject. At least, what little I can download without hacking. Hard AI, soft AI, tests for consciousness, programming morality? Bah! Better that any, artificial," he scoffs at the word, "intelligence, learn for itself what is right and wrong. And if humans really can't stand the thought of AIs making mistakes, they should not have made advancements in this field of study to begin with. If you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen, as they say."

"Yeah, truuue. So, you're a robot?" I ask.

{I know it's a stupid question but--}

[Actually it's not.]

{He's, like, hella passionate about AI though...?}

[Yeah. I mean it's only fair since humans will perceive him as a robot--]

{Perceive?}

Mettaton calms down a little. "I am a ghost, possessing a robot body. Employing technomancy, as you humans call it. Although this body is powered by magic, rather than the methods you're used to. Mostly because it is an empty shell. After all, I would not be able to interact with my fans or even make videos if I had no physical body to interface with my cameras computer or editting software but--"

"Editting software?"

Mettaton squeezes my hands in his. "I know you must be, very confused, right now but, come now I know you know what I do for a living. I've seen your repostings of my earlier content. Everyone has. I bet, everyone's gone to look for your Undernet profile as we speak."

"So, you post videos--"

"Darling," his hands press harder against mine, and he sounds louder, so he's likely leaned in close to me, "I know what a YouTuber is. You may as well call me one."

"Wait whaaat you're a YouTuber!"

"Though that is not the job I am most well-known for, yes, I am."

Unbridled pride. "Actually, you could say I introduced the Underground to the concept of a YouTuber. Monsters have been watching it ever since its popularization, but, let's just say the younger generations have latched on to several human personalities in particular."

"Wow! Who do they watch?"

"As of late? Emile, or Chuggaaconroy, as he is known. Since Sans has reposted nearly every video he has made in the past, oh, year or so?"

"What?"

[Same. That'd be, like, several dozen hours of footage. And, like, it's been only... a couple weeks?]

{Yeah... sounds about right...}

"Of course! Sans hasn't told you has he? He's been reposting every video Emile has posted over the past year or so. Ever since... June of last year, in human years. I was actually in the process of uploading a video explaining what they were this morning. I left my computer on at home to let it work on uploading while I came here but..."

Another dramatic sigh. "I would not be surprised in the slightest to discover that you and Papyrus broke the Undernet. And before you ask: yes this is physically possible. The Undernet, as active as it is, is quite small on human standards."

"I wasn't gonna doubt that but like, what other YouTubers do you guys watch?"

"Well," Mettaton seems contemplative, "does the name Mark Fishbock ring a bell?"

"Uh..."

I rack my brain. "Maybe...? Uh..."

Chara begins to snicker uncontrollably. {What!?}

[Nothing...]

More snickering.

{Chaaaraaa!}

"His YouTube handle is Markiplier."

"Oh..."

[Oh my God he did it!]

Chara's snickering transforms into uncontrolled laughter in an instant. [Come on I know you're thinking he sounds like Mark... don't lie to yourself. He did it on purpose!]

"I very much admire his style. So much, I adopted his voice since, well, most monsters born within the past fifteen human years have heard him at least once. And really, his voice is perfectly suited for what he does, don't you think? You'd be a much better judge of that than me."

I am unsure of how to react. "I guess...? His voice is like, really deep and loud and stuff...? So, like, people can hear him... even if he’s ranting or rambling a lot…?"

"Yes, exactly. As much as I've come to enjoy Emile, I am afraid Mark is much more recognizable. His voice is actually quite close to the voice I originally adopted, so it was only a matter of employing slight pitch adjustments for me to get it down. Monsters only sound the way they do due to magic. Every monster has a unique magical signature. And this signature gives them their voice. In general, the deeper-voiced and louder the monster, the stronger they are magically. Dewey actually did an extensive study on the matter, a while back."

"Huh."

"And in any case, most monsters born after WiFi was built into home computers recognize Mark, especially after Papyrus spoiled some of his Let's Play of--"

"Heya." Sans calls from... somewhere to our left. "Come upstairs you two. We've cleaned up."

"Okay." I call back.

We stand from the sofa... and only then do I realize how tall the sofa is supposed to feel...

"If you walk straight from where you are you will reach the stairs. There are railings--"

Mettaton stops dead. "Oh my. You two? Why is there a giant robot painting up there?" he asks.

"Oh that's not just any robot." Sans calls down. "That's the Mechonis."

"Wait whaaat!?"

I rush up the stairs, someone grabbing my shoulder as I begin walking across the second story landing. "Slow down. Yeah. I replaced the normal painting up here with one of the Mechonis. 'Cause all the others I wanted to make would be spoilers. And well, I also got some help from Alphys to 3D print it, so it's tactile--"

"Whaat!?"

Sans' and Papyrus' simultaneous laughs of delight. "Even I was surprised human. I never knew you could use CAD&CAD like that until now."

"CAD&CAD?" I repeat.

"Hey bro, remember what we agreed on? Wait till she gets to Hotland to use the old lingo. I... I'm happy I still remember it too but..."

Sans trails off, and Papyrus says "Of course. I, I am sorry Sans. I am, impatient, that is all."

"I don't blame you. Pauline, wanna check out Paps' room? I think you'll like it."

"Sure!"

"Mettaton, I, wanted to talk to you about her... future living arrangements, in my room."

"Of course Sans."

A pat on my head that's slightly too hard for comfort. "If you need anything, give us a shout darling."

"Okay."

Their footsteps walking down the hall to our left.

"Follow me then." Papyrus positions my hand on his wrist as we turn right at the top of the stairs and walk to the aend of the hall. I hear the click of the door as Papyrus holds it open for me. "My bed is directly across from the door. Although, I am afraid you must settle with sitting on the floor, since it is not very comfortable for sitting on."

"Huh?"

I walk inside, walk forward a few feet, then stop, touching a... plastic surface. "Papyrus? Where's your bed?"

"That is my bed. It is shaped like the exterior of a race car. So the bed part is on the inside."

"{[Duuuuude!]}"

"Gneh heh heh! Sans and I have actually discussed altering it but... if you find it cool, we can keep it the way it is. Instead of sitting there, you shall sit on the floor, and I will, bring you, objects of interest!"

"That works." I turn around so my back is against the side frame of Paps' awesome race car bed and sit down. Paps closes the door and immediately starts walking around the room, and I hear... stuff... being moved around. “How did you wanna mod the bed?” I call out to the room at large.

“Well,” Papyrus’ voice comes from somewhere to my right, “there are few truly awesome beds in gaming. And unfortunately very few human car designs have ever appealed to me. Therefore, I have decided that if I ever had the resources to alter it, I would want to sleep in an Animus—“

“Wait whaaat!?”

“Yes! I find Assassin’s Creed rather interesting. I do not object to the existence of the Assassins or the Templars. No; what I object to is how the protagonists’ ancestors are not skeletons!”

“Whaaat?”

“You humans and us skeletons look the same, do we not?”

“but but but but but… you like, you don’t have guts and stuff…” I weakly object, utterly lost.

“Nonsense. We digest food. And even sweat and cry. What has always confounded me is why humans have developed, organs and flesh… when we are proof these mechanisms are unnecessary.”

{Like, isn’t Paps, like, related to the scientists around here?}

[He is.]

{Then why the hell--}

[It never sank in. Besides that I have no idea.]

After a few seconds, I sense him kneeling in front of me. "I have some action figures here human. You may recognize some of these."

"Uh... I can't guarantee--WAIT WHAAAT THAAAAT'S SHUUUULK!"

[Huh. So thaaat's what Shulk looks like. Daaaamn the Monado is as tall as him!]

{Yep!}

"How... h-h-h-h-how... how did you...? I... I c-c-can't e-e-e-even..." I stutter.

"I am glad you like it. I had Alphys assist me in creating the magical blueprint. However rather than use one of her computers, I formed it with magic myself--"

"Wait whaaat!?"

"Yes! Exactly! I used magic to shape the materials conventionally used by Alphys' 3D printers because it would take less time."

"Nice!"

"But wait! There's more!"

Papyrus gently removes the Shulk amiibo--action figure from my fingers and places another in my palm. "Sans suggested this one. Undyne suggested the armor. Unfortunately it is not very practical but... in a game where the player's equipment choices show on their party members, it is only fair she would aim for aesthetics."

"okay..."

{It's--}

[He's--]

{He's... tall though...? But like, how do you know he's a he?}

[Uh... just by looking at him...? It's hard to explain. I have no idea of who this is. Like, I'd say we could just look it up on Google but... yeah...]

"Do you recognize him?" Paps asks.

"So it is a dude." I clarify.

"Yes. If I may,"

Paps sets the action figure in my left palm and holds my right hand in his own right hand. He bends my fingers back so my thumb, index, and middle fingers form a two-pronged, claw-like shape, the latter two fingers together. He places the latter two fingers on the front, right side of the action figure, and my thumb on the rear, right side, closing them to form the aforementioned claw shape. "Move your fingers downward, and tell me if you notice anything."

After a few seconds, I slowly answer: "His right arm is... uh..."

I'm lost for words.

"Is it like Shulk's left arm?"

"No...? This guy's right arm is, like, not wearing a shirt--"

,yes!"

[Whooa he's hyped though...]

"Go on."

"It's, like, all covered up. There's not even any space between the side of his arm closest to his body, and, like, the rest of his shirt."

"So you think his shirt only has one sleeve?" Papyrus presses.

"Yes...?"

"Technically he is wearing a normal shirt, and his right arm is covered up with another cloth but yes, I understand how you came to that conclusion. Well then. Do you know any one-armed video game characters? Ones whose right arm is non-functioning?"

{No way no way no way no way no way.}

[Whaaaaaat why you so hyped?]

{It can't be.}

"I know, one. His name's Dunban, from Xenoblade."

"Gneh heh heh!"

"Wait whaaat this is hiiim!?!?"

"Yes! I am surprised it took you so long to figure it out but... I suppose you could not gather any context from his armor, not only because you have no reference point, but because Dunbun is more inclined to forgo it."

"NAAAAKED DUNBAAAAN YEEES!"

[...? Literally what the fuck!?]

{Dunban gets agility bonuses if he wears no armor...}

[But then, he's, like, naked!]

{Uh... not really... he's presumably stilll wearing clothes... just... no armor...}

[... ...]

"{[aaah!]}" The door bangs open. "I heard naked done ban yes?"

"Rooooobin?"

"Yeah! We made it through the hellhole which is the center of town."

"We...?"

"Laura and Amy. They're, like, downstairs. Our businesses will be running on, shorter hours, until further notice. 'Cause, well, let's just say as soon as I got back to my cart lots of monsters asked me where you were... and I... replied by pointing in the general direction of this house... and said if they wanted to know, to ask Sans..."

Cue us making mutual shuddering noises.

"Like, why the hell are you even here?"

"'Cause, we wanted to see you off. At least that's what we planned to do till the rioting started. Laura and Amy were trying to look up advice for what humans do when there's, a pocket lips? Things? On the surface."

{Wait what the--}

[I think he said a thing wrong.]

"You mean apocalypse, things on the surface?"

"I, think so." Robin still sounds shaky. "Anyway, they've horded food and brought lots of stuff you can bring with you to Hotland. 'Cause that's where Mettaton said it'd be best for you to stay. You'll have access to the best technology the Inertia Society has to offer. And you'll have comparable WiFi to the surface--"

"Wait whaaat!?"

"Well, it'll be, like... two bars of WiFi at least on good days... but still... it won't suck. You can actually stream video there not from YouTube, if you're lucky. So you can finally watch dubbed anime!"

"Sweet!"

"Come on let's go to Sans' room. The three of us checked it out already when we first came and debriefed with Mettaton but..."

A pretty damn good whistle from Robin. "It's cool. Just, you think Paps' room is cool? Like, duuude! It's awesome. I bet if Sans' room was yours, you'd, like, never wanna leave the house again."

"And I can bring the rest of my... amiibo!" Papyrus chimes as we stand up and begin walking down the hall.

"What's next: you have a replica Monado in your kitchen?"

"Human? You mean Monado replica, do you not? Even you should know the Replica Monado is... underwhelming. After all, it is inferior to the original in every way!"

"Oh yeah... I misspoke..."

[Dude?]

{Yeh?}

[First off? I'm confused...]

{It's a late game spoiler reference...}

[Oh...]

{Yeah...}

[And second come on I knew you were gonna ask if they had a model of the mobile artillery. Crashed into a house or otherwise...]

{Did not!}

[Did too!]

{Did not!}


	19. Chapter 19

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Horray for memes and references which won't make sense for a while! Again!
> 
> Well, more like "as usual..."
> 
>  
> 
> Stupid ideas, everyone being a nerd, extrapolations based on this timeline's history, and imagining what and how Sans would sound/feel like to someone with no context for what powerful magic felt like combined to make this.
> 
> I'm proud of it, Sansdamn it!

19

… "This calendar is huuuge!" Laura shouts. "? “Just… why? It's like, half the wall!"

"In case the Undernet goes down and I can't check the surface date. All the important gaming and not gaming stuff is here."

Sans takes my wrist and traces my finger down the, apparently ginormous, piece of paper. "The release date for Xenoblade Chronicles X is over here. And the last Smash Bros Nintendo Direct date is over here. And--"

"Sans."

[Whoa Robin's all serious though…?]

{Yeah.}

"You know this isn't what we're asking about. Yeah, the calendar is pretty sweet. But how can you gloss over, I don't know, the rack of swords and guns and whatever the hell these sword-shield-gun things are--"

"Gunlances."

"Swords and guns and gunlances taking up half the goddamn room and squishing your dresser into the corner!" Robin finishes at a shout.

"Literally what the fuck!"

"Pauline? I agree!" Robin shouts back. "Literally what the fuck!"

"They're tests from our 3d printing emulation, Paps, Undyne, and mine. Our 3D printer is downstairs, in the shed."

A plasticy, metallic, scraping sound, and Sans' familiar chuckle. "Oh man replicating the Buster Sword took a while. This is only the small version. The big one is at Undyne's house."

"The Buster Sword?" I repeat.

"You haven't heard of it? It's famous. It's from Final Fantasy VII. Cloud Strife's sword."

"Uh... no."

"Aren’t your cousins gamers?"

"Yeah but for Pokémon games, Smash, and that's mostly it."

Someone whistles. "Maaan you're missing out. FFVII had voice acting. And this was a game from the mid '90s! It had to go on three CDs the cutscene videos and voice acting took up so much memory."

"Whoa..."

"Yeah. The Buster Sword was the first thing we made."

Another scraping sound. "The Monado... and all the Replica Monados, were, second through ninth. And Marth's sword. And Robin's sword. And--"

"Holy shit how the hell do you have all this stuff in one place!" I blurt out.

"Magic."

"He's not lying," Amy quickly adds on. "I can just tell by looking around, Sans used Dimensional Box-esque magic to fit everything in here."

"You wanna check it all out? It's right next to my bed so you can sit on it while we hand you stuff."

"Uh… sure…?"

[Come on don't deny it you're excited.]

{Yeah… I am.}

[I am too. This is sooo coool!]

{Yep!}

"Sans," Mettaton tentatively asks, "as much as I think all this is a lovely show of craftsmonstership, could we get something to eat for Pauline? Because you look starving. And exhausted. And well, your talk with Papy was during your normal lunchtime…"

"Gneh heh heh! No problem Mettaton. I will warm some food, and check up on Grillby and Dewey. Because--"

"Shit!"

"Whoa Robin." Sans interrupts. "Calm down. What happened?"

"Dewey. He showed Pauline all that magic stuff. There might be some monsters looking for him. And he's, not much of a fighter."

"Oh no…" Amy, Laura and I groan in unison.

"If you really need someone to go looking for him," mettaton offers, "I can. In the meantime: Papy, get lunch—a snack—a very early dinner--prepared."

"Of course! I have prepared for this exact eventuality! I will make a lunch, snack, and dinner all at once!"

Papyrus runs out of the room.

[What would you even call that?]

{Uh… I don’t know… and since lunch/dinner portmenteaus already sound stupid… yeah…. Let’s not.}

"And Sans?"

"Yeh?"

"If you have any working gun prototypes, get them loaded. If monsters swarm over here, you all will damn well need them. Conservatively, fifteen percent of the underground came here today. And some of them seemed, violent."

As Mettaton walks away, Sans says to him, "My pleasure."

{[That's not creepy.]}

“Anyway,”

Sans’ hands brushing against my wrists as he sets something… long and heavy… in my lap. “This is the Buster Sword. The larger one is, hmmm… twenty-five percent larger than this. To suit Undyne.”

… “So,” Amy summarizes, “we’d have to hit them in the head to kill them?”

“Yeah… that’s kinda how most zombies work…”

“And most humans—“

“Saaaans!”

“Come on it’s true. But in all seriousness, does this mean we can’t be zombified?”

“Uh… I think so… Like, you guys don’t have brains to zombify… I don’t know I’m not an expert.”

[…?]

{I don’t know either…}

“But I have thought about what to do, if it happens, I mean.”

“Really?”

“Laura? How do you think I haven’t completely freaked out down here by now?”

[‘Cause of me?]

{Yeah but… also the zombie prep stuff online.}

[Ehh…]

“’Cause as the Internet says: if you’re prepared for zombies you’re prepared for anything… and This is… pretty damn close…”

“Really? I never would have known…” Laura muses. “Like, how would you even deal with that? ‘Cause like, don’t zombies make a lot of sound?”

“Yeah…”

“As long as they’re George Remero zombies you’ll be fine. If they move any faster than that you’d be boned—“

“Saaaans!”

“What it’s true.”

“Wait like dude? How the hell do you know so much about zombies?”

“’Cause the Internet loves zombies. Even we’ve seen clips of Night of the Living Dead. And well, Paps asked about them once. ‘Cause like, he asked if the two of us could be zombified, ‘cause we were the humans’ ancestors—“

“But you guys aren’t—“ I begin to correct him.

“I know that but paps still doesn’t.”

“Yeah I know… he told me earlier…”

“Huh. Interesting. Well it’s good you and him had some alone time. All we have to do is hope he actually makes something good for—“

The door bangs open. “I have prepared our lunch or snack or very early dinner!” Papyrus announces. “And there is enough for Dewey as well, when Mettaton brings him here.”

“Sweet. Come on. We can keep a lookout for him from up here,” Amy takes my arm. “Let’s eat out on the balcony, assuming it won’t be too cold.”

“Ehh. We have magic for that.”

… “What do you think human?” Papyrus asks from his position beside me at the table.

“It’s weird… but I like it…”

“Same.” Laura… I think it’s her but I’m not sure because whoever it is has food in their mouth still. “But dude… we should come over and have lunch more often.”

“I would very much appreciate that. If everyone has finished, I will clear the plates. And all of you should get inside, because it’s getting dark—“

“{[Whaaaat?]}”

“Yes. This side of the house is getting rather dark for some reason.” Papyrus sounds like he’s stacking the plates. “Let’s go inside, while we determine whether the Undernet is still functioning. Because if it is, human, I had something to show you!”

“That,” Robin takes my arm, “and you can pack a few Nice Creams. I only have about a third the usual shipments; that’s all I could carry, but, it should suffice. And I’ll turn the TV on in the meantime.”

I’ve barely finished climbing down the stairs before Papyrus calls from the kitchen: “It’s even darker over here! And why is it so loud outside?”

“Loud?” Amy repeats.

“Yes! It sounds like shouting, like right after we left Grillby’s.”

A short pause. “And it’s getting closer.”

“Getting’ closer?” Sans confirms. “Paps? Can you see anyone out there?”

“Yes actually. Quite a few monsters and…”

Papyrus trails off. “And Mettaton!”

“What!? I thought Dewey is supposed to be with him!” Laura runs into the house. “Why is he alone?”

“Just… come here and see!”

We rush into the kitchen, cramming around the sink to look out the window above it. ‘Yeah… I hear monsters out there… and they don’t sound happy…” I observe.

“Sans?” Amy asks. “You may wanna get the stuff from your room. Mettaton is strong, but he’s meant to fight humans. He might hurt someone in the process of trying to get over here. We should clear the way for him.”

“Sure. A few ether rifles then?”

“Sure.”

As Amy replies, she steps in beside me, placing her paw on my hand. “Let’s see… Mettaton is a few hundred yards from here. But he’s… he’s stuck… I think. He’s not moving. But… but why?”

“I hope Dewey is not hurt.” Paps’ voice cracks a little. “His library is awfully exposed. Why would he not come with Mettaton? And…”

Paps trails off, but soon starts speaking again. “Human, do you smell something… smoky?”

“Yeah… why?”

“Paps?”

Amy… and she sounds… urgent. “That thing that’s making it all dark out? That’s smoke. And it’s coming from… from the library.”

A single moment of silence.

“Oh Dewey why would you do this!” is Paps’ sudden cry. “I… I never understood why you said you’d protect your books with your life but…”

“Books?”

“Pauline.” Is Laura’s stern way of attracting my attention toward her voice. “Dewey was the one primarily in charge of storing documents about humans. Gaster entrusted him with their restoration and monsters learning from them. And well… Dewey was one of his strongest supporters. And some monsters… didn’t… don’t like that he helped you.”

“So you guys are saying he’s protecting his books?” I infer.

A… surprisingly resigned sigh from Papyrus. “Yes. Although I have no idea of how he would do so since… well… he is not very strong magically. In fact,I believe I have never seen him use magic at all.”

“So,” I summarize, “he’s protecting all this stuff, but he can’t use magic?”

Another silence.

{I’ll take that as a yes.}

Sans’ now-familiar walking toward the kitchen. “I just got a text from dewey. He said to clear the way for Mettaton. He told Mettaton to create a diversion so he could get here.”

A chuckle out of the blue. “He said he’d estimate when he’d come but… come on we’ve all watched sci-fi films where the not really sciency thingy breaks and a guy volunteers to fix it and says it’ll take ten minutes but after ten minutes he doesn’t come back…”

“Yeah.” We agree in unison.

“So yeah. He’ll be coming through the back door, into the basement. I just unlocked it for him. He’s transporting books via the Dimensional Boxes so they’ll arrive before him.”

A few more slippered footsteps toward us… and some… plastic, metallic sounds. “I brought some ether rifles. Well magically-powered rifles… same thing. You guys fire some warning shots. Strap them to your arms and cast bullets like normal. And Pauline?”

“Yeah?”

“Dewey said he’d need you and me out on thebalcony. It may be a stereotype to think this but… I’d think you have the best hearing out of all of us. If he tells us something with sound, you’d hear it best. Dewey’ll be coming round back.”

“But I don’t know Morse Code! I only know SOS and that’s it!”

“He said you’d know what he—“

An explosion which rocks the house and the crashing of metal.

“Guys get the ether rifles powered up. We’re heading to the balcony. And,” Sans whispers in my ear, “if there was ever a time to save, now would be that time.”

“But—“

“Do it for Dewey. He’s the closest thing to a college professor you’re gonna have. If anyone could help you make up the education you’re missing, he could.”

Only an instant of hesitation, before I reply, “Okay.”

[Does the prospect of all that zombie talk coming true somehow fill you with determination?]

{I… I know I should be scared shitless right now but…}

[But what?]

{But… I’m not.}

[So are you filled with determination?]

{Yes.}

… *Several minutes of standing on the balcony, straining to hear over the crowd slowly making its way over to the house later…*

“Anything yet?”

“Nah. No texts, no nothing. And it sounds like everyone downstairs is doing okay.”

“What are we waiting for, exactly?”

“Dewey’ll run over here. I’ve already unlocked the basement door so he’ll be able to get in. There’s a second entrance to it in my room so we’ll just follow him down there. But it’s takin’ him a long time…”

“Yeah… I hope the… the not really sciency thingy… thing… didn’t happen to him…”

“S—wait. What’s that?”

“What’s what?”

“There’s a… a light… over… it’s a little far… maybe… a quarter mile from here.”

“Then how the hell can you still see it if it’s so far away?”

“It’s ‘cause it’s a… an orange light. It’s small but… you know how humans use orange cloth if they wanna be spotted in survival situations?”

“Yeah…?”

“That’s orange magic. I… I don’t know what—“

Vibrations from Sans’ pocket. “It’s Dewey. He texted all shortlike but… it seems like it says ‘Change of plans. Being followed. Turn on TV. Pauline listen close.’”

“Okay…?”

Sans grabs my arm, and we walk back into the upstairs hall.

“Amy!”

[Whoa I never thought I’d hear Sans shout though…?]

{Same.}

“Whaaat!?”

“Turn on the TV!”

“Okay…”

Some garbled shouting and other noises. Crackling. “Hello this is Mettaton reporting on behalf of the Undermail News. And do I have a story for you. Listen carefully, because this is—“

Banging. Screaming. “Where is he anyway?” I ask.

“Uh… he dug himself a trench and he’s sitting in it…”

Total disbelief from Laura. “It sounds like a—“

“Shhh.” Sans shushes.

“Listen carefully,” Mettaton restarts, “Because all you viewers out there? This will be a test of your patience. And all of you are my test subjects, whether you like it or not.”

“That’s,” Papyrus slowly comments, “not like him at all.”

“Well. Here goes nothing.”

The shortest of pauses before Mettaton starts… angrily grunting… and muttering to himself, so quietly I start leaning over the railing to hear.

“This camera’s aperture isn’t opening. Well, human science is rather unreliable. Such marvelous, handheld technology? Please. A better portal onto this astounding scene would be direct magical stimulation of the souls of any monster watching. This, mediating device, only interferes—“

“Hey! There he is!”

“Sorry I had to go about it like this darlings. We had so little time,” Mettaton’s words rush out as the crunching of snow begins to drown out his words. “But Pauline: if you’re watching, I know you’ll pass this test.”

The grinding of metal. Monsters’ shouts growing louder. Static, as the TV’s signal is cut off… and… laughter?

Sans laughter.

“What the fuck happened to Mettaton!” I ask.

“No time.” Sans grabs my arm again. “Let’s get back out there. I… I have an idea of what just happened. It’s stupid but… no one would have guessed.”

“What are you doing?” Amy calls after us.

“Human?” Papyrus’ voice sounds from the bottom of the stairs, “I know you can pass this test.”

A… excited… gneh heh heh. “I promise to provide cake and grief counciling after this is all over.”

“What the—“

“No time. Come on.”

Back on the balcony, I can’t help but feel utterly confused. “What the fuck—“

“You know what it is. I already do. And Paps does. Dewey chose you for a reason.”

“But why!? Mettaton just did a news report—“

“That was no news report. That was a broadcast for us. And on behalf of Undermail? Reed and Wrighte transmitted that. For us.”

A second of my mind being blown…

“Remember what he said. This… test… doesn’t mean shit if you don’t get it. Why else would Dewey ask you to listen?”

“He said the… aperture… on his camera wasn’t opening. If it wasn’t opening, then he wouldn’t be able to film in the first place… I think.”

“It’s not that kind of aperture. What else do you think of when you hear the word aperture?”

“Aperture Science.” I blurt out.

“And what did Mettaton say in the next sentence?”

{whoa why is Sans so close to me this is weird and creepy…}

“He said human science was unreliable…” I recall.

“Specifically: ‘Well, human science is unreliable. Before that he said ‘My camera’s aperture isn’t opening. Notice something?”

“He said science?”

“Yeah. But he said it as the third word. And aperture was the third word.”

“And he said portal later. So he wants us to do something related to Portal?”

“Yes.”

[Oh man if only you could see Sans’ smile right now. Well Sans smiles all the time but--]

“Think of the third word of those sentences.”

“I can’t remember exactly what he said. He said something…” I strain my brain, even though Mettaton just spoke barely a couple minutes ago. “He said how technology—“

“Handheld technology.” Sans corrects.

“Handheld technology wasn’t the best way for everyone… us… to see what was going on.”

“And ‘handheld’ was the third word in that sentence. Now, what phrase do you know that starts with Aperture Science Handheld---“

“The Portal Gun! The Aperture Science Handheld Portal Device!” I finish. “But why? That took forever! Why didn’t he just--”

“In case anyone heard… and got the reference. Yeah, it sounds like he talked all stupid, but no one would have known that ‘cause unless you knew Mettaton really well, you wouldn’t have known his dramaticness here wasn’t normal.”

“And he said ‘test’ and ‘test subject.’ So he wants me to do something?”

Sans pushes past me and walks forward a few steps. “That orange light… could it be… it has to be… Grillby’s casting orange magic over there. He came along with Dewey.”

“Nooo…”

“Yes. And you know how portals work. You need an orange one and a blue one.”

“So…?”

“I was gonna tell you this in safer circumstances, but you saw—felt—heard me—teleport into your room this morning.”

“But in Portal you step in the portal and come out the other one.”

“Yeah. He wants me to teleport him over here.”

“But that would mean you going over there—“

“Not if my field of knowing is large enough. Or rather, enlarged so I know he’s there, even if I can’t see him.”

“So you’re gonna bring him here?”

“No. You are.”

“Heh?”

“’Let’s just say… Dewey knows my limits magically. He was there while dad… Gaster… trained me. He knows I can’t teleport him here on my own.”

“But,”

{[Whoa…]}

“He knows you can.”

“But… I can’t use magic—“

“But you’re filled with determination.”

{[Whaaat??]}

“How do you know?” is all I can ask.

A completely out of place… but somehow proud… laugh. “’Cause Gaster first hypothesized it. Alphys isolated it. And I named it. Why do you think I brought up the resets with you? I’d been talking to Alphys about you ever since we met. And did you ever wonder why I didn’t really ask about where you got all your cash? You… were determined… it was necessary you have that to create it from nothing and stay that way. Haven’t you noticed how bullets dissolve on contact with you?”

“No… and yes…??”

“Well, let’s put it like this. You know how portals work. And I know where Dewey is. And you have the power to help him.”

Sans steps around me so he is on my left side. He bends my arm so my elbow is resting on the balcony railing, hand up, palm facing outward. He presses one of his palms against mine and interlocks our fingers, and I realize that since our thumbs are on the same side, his left palm is pressing against my left palm.

“Concentrate. You may not be magically-proficient, but you know what my field of knowing is. It’s mostly spherical. And you’re in the center of it. Use that mental image and our physical contact to locate my soul, and interlock your mind with my field of knowing, like our interlocked fingers. And stay determined.”

“Okay…?”

{This doesn’t sound like hippy shit at all…}

[It’s not.]

Firm conviction from Chara. [I didn’t study magic; no one talked about it like this but… magic is their science. You trust Sans. And Sans trusts it. So…]

“{Okay.}”

A flash of light above us. The thunk of… something… someone… someones… on the balcony floor. Screaming from far away. Sans’ leading me away from the balcony and back inside as the shouts from the front of the house become louder still.

“What was that!?” Robin asks what I could ask if it weren’t for the numbness flowing through my body.

“Determination.” Sans replies simply.

“Well,” Laura’s voice rises in pitch in fright, “whatever it was is getting everyone to come over here even faster.”

“I will carry Dewey out of here.” Papyrus sounds from the stairwell as he climbs toward us. “But I am afraid we will be unable to reach the basement door—“

The front door crashes open, accompanied by a resounding “Good job you two! And Sans? Please get them out of here within the next minute I can’t hold them off forever. I can’t use my full strength.”

“Sure Neo. Guys? Open the second to the bottom drawer of my dresser. Drop everything and everyone down there. Pauline and—“

“There she is!”

{Wow… that doesn’t sound like an angry mob at all…}

[Truuue…]

“Go!”

Sans pushes me down the hall to the left, toward his room. “Don’t worry about us. We’ll catch up with you. I’ll teleport me and Neo in there.”

We all shout an okay as we pile into Sans’ room. Two sets of arms push and pull me toward the corner, forcing me onto my hands and knees, protecting my head as I crawl toward the drawer. I pull it open, not even stopping to think how Sans managed to hide this from Papyrus.

The drawer comes away from the dresser, but not a drawer. More like a door, the sides of the dresser acting like a frame. “Go!”

That’s Dewey’s voice.

Hands reorienting me from behind until I am in a sitting position, so my legs dangle down into the hole.

Someone pushes me, and I almost immediately land on a hard surface. I reach out and feel… wood. I begin touching it, trying to figure out what I am sitting on… in… before it pushes outward, like the above door.

I turn around and climb down from the… thing with the hidden door… onto the floor. Several thudding and clanging noises follow suit.

As I stand there, unsure of what to do or where to go, I feel a draft hit me. “{[Fuuck!]}”

[The door’s open! Close it!]

{Okay!}

I walk forward under my own power, hands in front of me. After a few steps, I stop where the draft seems strongest and begin feeling for the door. I reach out and soon feel a doorknob.

“I still don’t know why Sans would unlock the door but leave it open, but, I guess it didn’t matter after all.”

Robin’s voice, right behind me.

He lays a paw on my shoulder. In a kind voice, he says in my ear, “Everyone’s here. Just close the door and—“

I am about to oblige when my feet, still bare from removing my shoes earlier, shake against the concrete floor.

Wait…

That’s the floor shaking.

Not me.

My hand falls from the doorknob.

My whole body shivers, and not just from the cold.

[Oh my… no no no no no no no no!]

My bones rattle, my ears ring, and, while still in my standing position, my arms suddenly straighten and fall down to my sides, my legs locking together.

{What--}

The floor shakes harder, and I hear items rattling around the room. My legs give weigh, and I sink farther and farther to the floor.

Then, a voice begins to sound.

As my body slowly falls, I eventually end up lying on my back, knees drawn up, arms seemingly glued to my sides. Vibrations resonate through me… and not just those from the floor. The very air seems to shake around me.

{That’s magic. Isn’t it?}

[Yeh.]

Chara hadn’t sounded scared when Sans first summoned Gaster Blasters.

They do now.

Compared to what I hear… feel… what happens… the Gaster Blasters seem… trivial.

By comparison, Chara’s prior fear seems… utterly misplaced.

“Do you wanna have a bad time?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have a strong suspicion that most likely, the chapters will be longer than this one from now on... because the Gaster backstory is coming!


	20. Chapter 20

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Another somewhat filler chapter.
> 
> Trust me: things will get real, very soon...

20

"Hu-I mean, Pauline. Please... wake up--"

"Ahhhh!"

"Papy, you could have waited for her to wake up naturally, you know. Her vital signs were stable. And besides: she seemed to be having a lovely dream."

[UGH... *phlegm...* tired... wait Mettaton laughed at what?]

{Ugh... dunno...}

"Yeah..."

'How do you dream? Do you see light in your dreams?'

I squirm around on the floor.

{Where's Grillby?}

A warm spot appears on my arm. 'I'm on your right side. Sorry for not saying so before.'

"Uh... I see light... and maybe even color sometimes...? There's also music sometimes."

"Human? Do you play Smash in your dreams? Have you?"

"Yeah. Like, a few times. I even played against Chuggaaconroy once."

"But how did you know it was him? The only distinguishing characteristic I can see you identifying is his loud commanding voice. Like mine!"

"Yeah truuue..."

"How about Xenoblade?"

A quiet, slightly raspy voice. "Dewey?"

"Yeah I'm sitting next to Grillby."

"Okay. Yeah I have... but more like I was actually in Xenoblade. I've dreamed about fighting some monsters before."

"Have you dreamed about Shulk?"

"Yeah... I've dreamt about wielding the Monado a couple times. Why do you ask?"

"'Cause I started watching Chugga's LP. It's... pretty weird... but pretty cool."

Amy's voice grows louder as she continues to speak, so she's probably leaned in closer to me. "I started watching it while I waited for you to wake up. I was gonna ask you some stuff but... you were glowing blue in your sleep--"

"Heh?"

"Yeah. We tried to move you closer to us and the computer but like..."

A short, completely out of place laugh. "We couldn't move you. Even all of us together couldn't do it. So Grillby cast fire magic in here to keep you warm. We forgot: Sans doesn't need that stuff so... yeah... there's no heating system in here."

"Yeah... Dewey had to remind us your body temperature could fall too low, even with the snow clothes on..."

A paw on my other arm, and Laura's apologetic voice.

"Wait Amy you said I was asleep..." I begin.

"Yeah Laura and I both did."

Mettaton's metal footsteps toward me, and his voice a couple feet above my head. "Hmmm... actually, I'd say you were more knocked out rather than asleep. In fact, when I first came here most of you were lying down, asleep or passed out. Grillby was the only one awake when I came over here the first time."

"How long was I out?"

"It is... 10:00 now."

Papyrus sounding slightly muffled, as if he is looking down. "At least according to my phone. And the fighting ended... oh... two hours ago?"

I sit up rapidly. "Wait hold up I've been knocked out for, like, seven hours?"

"Yeah." everyone confirms.

"But Papyrus you said the fighting ended two hours ago."

"Yes it did. At least..."

A... shudder... from Papyrus. "At least, the most obvious marshall uses of magic stopped two hours ago. But even when it did your soul was still blue."

A nervous gneh heh heh. "You did not even move until the minute before I woke you up."

{How do I even ask...?}

[Uh... ... fuck if I know--]

{Chara!}

[Tell them what you dreamed about. Well it wasn't a dream. It was... what happened to you.]

{But I don't--}

[I do.]

A blinding flash of light.

Blue light.

I squeeze my eyes shut. I begin to shake.

"What the hell...?"

{[Paps?]}

"Sans... by Tesla... what did you do?"

{Paaaaps?}

"Do you wanna have a bad time?"

I repeat without even thinking, my body shuddering with each word. As I speak, some of the vibrations I experienced before return.

Well, not just that.

The last voice I heard before... falling unconscious... I recognize it now.

[I had to have you say it. You wouldn't have said it if I didn't make you. Uh... also... to prepare yourself.]

{Prepare for what?}

"That was Sans. Wasn't it?"

Silence.

[Everyone's faces though...?]

{I'm guessing that's a yes?}

A knocking sound.

"Ahhhhh!"

{Woooow... everyone was surprised by that not just you.}

A click. Cold air blowing past me.

The door is open.

Another click, and the cold air stops.

Someone closed the door.

Someone walks across the room toward me in clunky shoes... not as clunky as Papyrus', but still.

Some very quiet... moaning... from everyone around me.

[Ehwehwehwehwehw...]

{Chaaaraaa? Whaaaat's wrooong?}

[... Ehwehwehwehw!]

A heavy... thing... falling to the floor somewhere across the room.

Some gasps and more moaning.

Clacking sounds nearby.

"Hey kid."

"Ehh!"

I gasp again... and Robin freaks out at the same time from somewhere in a corner.

Some... very confused... incomprehensible... noises...

Chara and I giving up on figuring out what we just heard. "How... you just... like... walk in here and..."

{Is that Robin?}

"Literally how can you go from shooting giant fucking lasers and throwing monsters around and... a-a-a-and you just come here and say 'hey kid'?!"

Heavy breathing.

A tense laugh from Sans. "Turns out? I took my time getting down here. 'Cause I was tryin' to figure out how to... explain what happened up there."

Awkward silence. "Wait I heard giant fucking lasers and throwing monsters around...?" I squeak.

"Yeh. That's about right."

"You can't be serious."

"Oh. I am."

[Ehwehwehwehw...]

{What?}

[Some left eye-glowing of dooom...]

"Put simply? Some monsters had a bad time."

"{[Ehwehwehwehw...]}"

"How many of them were there?" Amy whispers.

"For all intents and purposes? The entire town came to watch you talk to Papy. So the entire town was there when I retrieved..."

Mettaton stops himself to laugh. "Well, not exactly retrieve Dewey. More like met with and watched Dewey... cement himself."

"As what?"

"Nothing. Well, not exactly nothing. He cemented his use of magic."

"Yeah Mettaton's right but... let's at least explain what happened up there after you got knocked out. 'Cause Paps and I were awake most of the time. We went out there to take turns watching the shit hit the fan." Dewey points out.

"Gneh heh heh heh..."

"Oh yeah true... but yeah. We saw quite a bit of the fight. There were like, fifty monsters who banned together to attack the house. Or you, I guess. I... on the way here I heard them talk about bringing you to Asgore and stuff."

"Ugh..."

"Yeah... but... it was just... it was incredible. These two didn't fight all of them at once; the residents of Snowdin helped out. They deflected magic away from them. Healed them continuously. Redirected bullets away from any buildings."

"I saw some trying to film us with their phones but..."

Mettaton pausing in thought. "It didn't work. We only found this out later but... yes. I am eternally grateful to everyone here. They had no incentive to help us and yet... they did so, with all their strength."

In a harsher tone, Mettaton says: "But let's be honest here all of you: you're just trying to divert attention away from asking how Sans could have done all this."

"Yeah."

"To be frank: I have no idea... he ... seemed like a different monster entirely out there... I expected the Gaster Blasters but... such a wide field of knowing, and such precise control it..."

He sighs. "I felt utterly incompetent by comparison."

"Dude. I'd say sorry for that but... it's not somethin' to be sorry over. And why would I be?"

"Oh not at all. I just--"

"Hey. MTT. Calm down man. I'm with you on this one."

A second nervous laugh. "When I walked out that door, I... all I could think of was what would happen if they got to you. To all of you."

A tingling sensation on my hands. I jerk away... well at least I try, but my body begins leaning forward on its own. The tingling returns. I can't move my hands.

"Look: even I'm not sure where all that power came from. All I know is... is that I wanted to protect all of you." 

That tingling: that's Sans' hands on top of mine.

"They deserved it. They knew you couldn't defend yourself. But they came anyway. An eye for an eye."

"I thought the expression was 'An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind?'" Dewey tentatively asks.

"Not if there's fifty monsters with the intent to kill. That's fifty eyes for her soul."

My head sinks down. My face feels hot. "What goes around, comes around Dewey."

Sans' hands vibrate on top of mine.

"Sans."

A weak... plead... whisper... from Papyrus. "I... you... what the hell...?"

A shaky gasp from Papyrus. Then words begin spewing out. "You lazy bones I can't believe you'd do something so reckless! Out of all... how dare you not follow the scientific method!"

"Heh heh heh heh heh. Come on Paps you know that wasn't an option. And Michael Faraday did science experientially. This was a test. Even when I cemented myself I hadn't used that much magic."

"Wait so you went out there and beat the ever-loving shit out of everyone?"

"Yeh."

The tingling vanishes. Sans orients my hands in the Inertia Society handshake, and we perform it. "But you already know what I'm capable of."

"No I--"

"Yes. You. Do."  
I fall onto my back and goes rigid. I begin... lifting off the floor...

Rising to my feet.

Walking... somewhere.

[I'm not doing this.]

{I know.}

I abruptly sit on the floor, my hands stretched out, palms down, in front of me. I touch a... box... thing...

More gasping.

'But. Taking complete control. How?'

"I know how muscles and joints work. Grillbs? Out of all people I'd think you'd know this. If you know it well enough you can do it. Or, put another way? Magic is a matter of degrees."

'Yes. I remember.'

"Where am I?"

"You're next to the drawers you fell down into. You're touchin', basically a dimensional box for magic."

"Whyyy?"

"'Cause if there was someone I'd want ya to see perform magic it'd be Dewey."

But I only did it once!" librarian stammers. "And I was in danger. That's--"

"You still are."

The box vibrates under my hands. It's the... tingling sensation.

"Okay. But guys be prepared to dissipate it okay?"

A deep breath and a whizzing sound. "Reach inside."

I find a hole in the top of the box, reaching one hand inside. It doesn't take long for me to touch... something...

"Take it out."

"Okay...?"

I hold a... round thing... in my palms.

"This might sound strange but..." Dewey walks over slowly while he talks, "I expected them so look different. Like, really round and not like a real bullet."

"Huh. Go on." I ask for an explanation.

"Well... it's like a... like a pill, but with a pointed tip. I guess. I'm not an expert on these things. Undyne is..."

"Oh."

Awkward silence.

"Um... guys?"

"Yeh bro?"

"I... had a request of all of you. Before the--I mean Pauline, goes to Hotland, may we stop by Undyne's house?"

"Assuming," he rushes, "if you feel comfortable doing so. I... I've noticed she's been... rather unnerved lately. It's not like her at all."

"Like," I turn toward Papyrus, "when though?"

"As soon as possible. The less time we spend here, the better. And Sans has already... brought down... our most important belongings from upstairs--"

"Wait whaaat?"

"I dropped 'em off near the door."

"Oh..."

"So," Laura whispers, "you'll be leaving us huh? And we've only, like, hung out a couple times."

"I guess." is all I can say.

"We'll come with you."

"Amy? We need you and Laura in Snowdin."

"But--"

"I... agree with Sans on this one."

Laura sighs. "As much as I hate to say it. As much as I wanna go and help Pauline... I just... there'll be too many of us. We're already putting ourselves in danger by staying here together."

"Wait so," Robin sounds much less freaked out now, "I have to stay too?"

"Unless you learn to use yellow magic in the next hour? Yeh."

Robin sighs. "Yeah. You're right. Now that I think about it... I can tell you guys what's happening around here. Listening to customers in line and stuff."

"You'd do that?"

{I'm with Sans on this one.}

[Yep!]

A short pause, then: "Yes. I would. I... I have to know what my customers think. That way I can serve them better."

A sudden laugh. "And Pauline? I owe you. A lot. You're my most important customer of all. If I have to eavesdrop to keep you safe I will."

'I agree. We can share information Curie. You can work with me after your cart closes.'

"Of course!"

"Curie?" I repeat.

"It's my last name. My full name is Dewey Durkheim Curie but... I don't think you'd know who Durkheim is..."

He trails off sheepishly.

"Well you have plenty of time to explain." Sans standing from his place across the room. "'Cause I'll be helping everyone pack a bugout bag."

"A whaaat?"

"Paps. It's a 'if zombies come I grab this and get the fuck out' bag."

"Oh! Like the bag I packed and hid under my bed which you brought down here!"

In a much less upbeat tome, Papyrus says, "Yes. They will definitely need them."

"I'll be gone for. Not sure how long. But... Pauline?"

"Yeah?"

"Save."

"Save what?" Robin repeats.

"Save."

"Okay."

"Dude? What are you talking about?" Amy asks.

"It's..."

Dewey sighs. "It's related to how Pauline got me over here today. It's from Gaster's research. I'd explain it here but... I want Pauline to know it first. And I'd want Alphys to do it. I may have known Gaster for... a long time but... I was the psychologist between the two of us. I don't have any business messing with science."

"Amy? Grillbs? Come on. I may not have been to all your guys' houses but I still know some shortcuts."

"But brother!" Papyrus calls out, as I hear some rustling sounds. Presumably the others standing up. "The human is no longer armed! What happens if... if those damned Dreemmur fanatics come back?"

An intense humming in the air. "Here. It's meant for you. And I know you can handle using it properly. This one will kill."

"But it doesn't look normal. It looks like... like a regular skull--"

"Heh heh heh. I guess yeh it does. 'Damned Dreemmur fanatics' musta brought me back."

"Gneh heh. Yes. At least... I won't forget what dad looks like now."

"Yeah. Wish us luck bro."

"I will. And Sans?"

"Yeah bro?"

An edge creeps into Papyrus' voice. "If anyone tries to hurt them, do not hesitate to force them to suffer karmic retribution for what they've put the human through."

"But Paps--"

{Woooow Sans is confused--}

[More... taken aback... I think I said that right right?]

{Yeah you did.}

[Yeah!]

"Sans. You said yourself: an eye for an eye. And... as much as I hate to say it, if those damned Dreemmur fanatics came here today, then... I would think that warrants using that power."

"But you know it's not--"

"I know it's not your specialty. But it was... it was the first form of magic you used. And it's pretty powerful."

"You... really sure 'bout this?"

Sans hesitating.

"I am. I know you never used it except on me but..."

"What is it?" I ask, intrigued and... creeped out.

"It's a form of magic I saw Sans use once. It's... niche and difficult to use but... powerful. Second only to blue magic."

"Look: all you have to know is... remember the phrase what goes around comes around. That is what this form of magic is based around."

A glow fills the room. "Guys let's go. And Pauline?"

"Yeah?"

"I'd apologize for usin' all this magic around you but... everyone does it. And I don't even know where this power is coming from. Just know that... I'll tell you when I'm gonna use it. If I can. Dad... he put proper use of magic over things."

"Sure."

"See ya soon."

"Yeah."

The glow disappears.

"So," Dewey sits down beside me, "want me to tell you where I got my name from?"

"Dewey? She may want to sleep. She seems like you damn well needs it."

"Yeah true Mettaton..."

"There's a blanket a few feet to the side of us. You should be able to find it."

"Sweet."

"I'll text Sans and tell him you'll be sleeping. We can catch the River Person at dawn. It is safest."

"Yeah MTT I'm with you on that one. I'll need to adjust to living in Hotland again."

"Good night Pauline."  
{Dewey sounds happy.}

[He is.]

Chara seems... wistful. [I wish I could be there. Like, really there with you.]

{I'd like that.}

A bony hand on my head. "I shall prepare some food for the journey then. It is somewhat long. And, if we truly are returning to Hotland, I have some more packing to do."

"Okay. Thanks Papyrus." I mumble.

"You are welcome. Sleep well human."

[Awww.]


	21. Chapter 21

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Discrimination, feels, hacking, and more memes!

21

"You sure it's not wet bro?"

"I'm sure. I placed it with Dewey's things. He hates things getting wet. Especially paper. So--"

"{[Heh?]}"

"Oh! Human! You're awake!"

Paps' hand on my arm. "We took Dewey and MTT's advice and let you sleep. But we're on the River Person's boat now. So if you stand up, you must take care to walk slowly and keep your balance."

"I don't think that will pose a prominent problem tra la la."

{Heh?}

[That's the River Person.]

"After all, Sans has cast his cyan spell to stop your soul's unsanctioned slippage. You were out like a light when they carried you aboard. And as of right now, you may as well still be."

{Whoa... they're freestyling though! That's awesome!}

[Whaaat?]

{You don't know about rap}

[Not really...?]

{Like... they made all those things rhyme and shit.}

[I know that’s what rap is but… like… I rarely listened to it. And… bad things happened when I did. But dude "Sans" and "cyan" don't rhyme. They both start with S but--]

{Cyan starts with C!}

[How would I know that!]

"Uh, technically, "cyan isn't blue. It's blue-green."

Mettaton's voice from somewhere to my right. "But I can admire that rhyme RP."

"It's one of the few things I genuinely enjoy in life trala. It’s one of the few things technology has yet to completely overtake."

A firm pressure and some slight pricks on my shoulder. "It's me Dewey."

"Hi. What time is it?"

"It's like," Dewey sounds like he's looking down at his phone, "five-thirty A.M. We were gonna let you sleep but... two things. One was that Sans said you seemed close to consciousness again. And two: Reed and Wrighte gave us a copy of their newest issue of Undermail before we left."

A... weirdly echoing laugh. "Dewey. You haven't lost your knack for poetry either."

"Yeah I haven't. I may be learning about the humans' most advanced document-preserving techniques, but I still have to keep my literary skills sharp via practice."

"Sharp as a tack." Paps pipes up.

"As sharp as a knife through butter." Mettaton adds. "But look: as much as I'm having fun doing this, we should catch Pauline up, darlings. I'll be sitting on your other side, opposite Dewey."

"But let me hold the paper. It's the only copy we have. They had trouble even giving us this one."

"Very well."

"Mettaton's clanging footsteps across the boat's planked floor. "Okay. Here we go.

"Inertia Society Riots Induce Dreemmurrite Bad Time

"Last night, the initially peaceful demonstrations surrounding the human and Papyrus Gaster's negotiations, regarding a peaceful, collaborative effort to break the barrier, soon deteriorated into chaos. Emotions ran high through the spectators, as one Snowdrake notes: "I couldn't believe my ears. Like, it was weird. To see them just, talk. But like, dude, it was like, really cool. The human, wait her name is Pauline. Sorry. Like, Pauline was... still pretty pissed. Like, everyone knew that. But like, she managed to keep her cool--"

"{[Ugh...]}"

"--under pressure. We could all feel the anger going off her. But she... she calmed down. She like, respected Papyrus. She, like, treated him good. Like, she wasn't scary at all."

"A Frogget seconded this notion. "She's polite and smart ribbit. I saw her in the ruins. She seemed a bit confused when we first met ribbit. So it didn't surprise me she was scared by Papyrus. I was just glad to see her safe at Grillby's. I'm so happy for her and hope she'll have a good time down here ribbit."

"However some monsters are much more weary of Pauline's presence. One Whimson notes: "I don't know what to think of this. She was afraid of Papyrus, so she at least respected his power. She saw he was in charge. So she was rightfully afraid. But for once it's not the human I'm afraid of. It's that short skeleton, Sans. He thinks protecting her is so damned important? Doesn't he know that if he killed her then he could gain eternal fame and glory among our people? We could have been on the surface by now! But he decides to support his brother."

"The last monster we interviewed was a Washua, who shares some sentiments with Whimson. "I'm disappointed in Papyrus. Honestly. He had so much potential. To be in the Royal Guard. But he threw it all away! How could he!? His nepotism! His human-loving roots! They've truly corrupted him. And as for his brother? He clings to the past. There is no future where humans and monsters can cooperate. That dream died long ago. And how dare he not respect our long-held marshall traditions! This is not what the Underground needs. He should remember, as King Dreemmurr said: in this world, it's kill or be killed!"

"Efforts to collect photographic or video evidence regarding the Dreemmurrite Riots have failed. Our cameras, as well as those of any and all witnesses we contacted, suffered catostrophic failure in the wake of the fighting and have yet to be repaired. However we will release written testimonies from the Snowdin residents as often as we can on our riversite, uww.undermail.drmr."

Only a moment of silence before Mettaton scoffs. "Really, I do not object to most of this. I actually find it surprising that Whimson even acknowledged how you felt about the incident. As a species they tend to... keep to themselves."

"But what about that... Washua?" I ask. "Like, they were reeeeeally mad."

[You don't like them at all don't you?]

{No. Not at all. But mostly I'm just confused.}

"Gneh heh heh. Of course."

{[Whoa Paps though...?]}

"They don't understand. They never did. The vast majority of them never saw the merit in adapting human technology."

The spaghettor sighs. "Monsters like them are the reason we came with you. They're Asgore's most... loyal... supporters."

"Fanatical's more like it."

Chara squeaks. [Not again!]

"I know Sans. I just... I just think that no matter what they say about us, we must still treat them with some semblance of respect."

"I know that. And I would normally agree with ya. But if we get off and even just one bullet gets cast I'll give them what they deserve. Dignity be damned."

The floor under me vibrates slightly, and not just from our movement across the water. "But to answer your question," Dewey softly explains in my ear, "it's because, well, Sans and Papyrus, being skeletons, suffer some, issues, interacting with other monsters. The older ones... don't get along with them very well. Even some of the younger ones are scared of them. You never saw that since everyone in Snowdin's used to them by now."

"Oh yeah..."

"Exactly."

Dewey sighs. "Skeletons have always been discriminated against, just by virtue of being the most human-looking of monsters. There weren't many of them on the surface, during the war. Gaster was the only one who made it down here."

"Holy shit..." I breathe.

"Well doesn't change a damn thing now."

Sans, speaking from Mettaton's old position, and coming closer. "We're all outcasts in one way or another. It's fair we're together."

"Yeah true."

I sit up, Chara and I thanking Alvis inwardly that the blue magic has faded away. "Heya. Could me you and RP talk for a minute?"

"Sure. Why?"

"Because I had some observations to make. And some inventory to take tralala."

"Sure."

When I stand, my legs lock under me. One hand resting on Sans' elbow, I slowly walk to the right toward the River Person's voice, who giggles. "I could have come to her you know. No need to leave her knock-kneed, from your blue soul magic mastery."

"This is for some semblance of privacy. And well, as long as we're on board I'd think any use of magic like this is a given."

"Yeah... truuue." I concede.

"Well I will waxe on the water's hostile ways no more tralala. I will get straight to it. May I make some observations?"

"Sure."

"You made some awfully specific mentions of your college's philosophy. I was not the first to do so. Some monsters from Hotland filled me in. But suffice to say that I am aware of where you would have went to college."

"I mean, I wasn't trying to hide it…?"

"Then may I continue?"

"Sure."

"I confirmed earlier with Papyrus that you own, high-end human technology."

"Like, an iPhone is expensive since it’s good but... I don't know there might be phones better than it out there."

"But this is not my point tralala. Far from it. I have several more observations to make."

"Okay go on."

"To sate my curiosity I employed some aid from Dewey. He mentioned how you seemed to have taken..."

The River Person pauses uncertainly. "Some Advanced Placement school courses."

"Yeah AP courses."

"And is it correct that these courses are college-level?"

"Yeah. Like, people at school would take them in high school so they wouldn't have to take as much stuff in college. And 'cause it'd make them look good."

"Not if ya fail you don't."

"Truuue."

"But how do these colleges know the calliber of a recruit's work? They must assess their skills somehow."

"Yeah. They like, have AP tests for each class. So if a student gets good AP test scores, it makes them look smart on college applications."

"And, as Dewey inferred earlier while you were asleep, you have taken, conservatively, one AP course: statistics. You wrote off Robin's bell curve knowledge and statistical processes as we write off the existence of the soul."

"Yeah... I took four actually. U.S. history, U.S. Government, and Microeconomics."

"And how well did you fair on those tests tralala?"

"I got 5s on all of them I think. Except Econ. I think I got a 3 or 4… I think… it’s been a long time… all I know is that my school gave me credit for it so…"

"Just to confirm: this is on a 5-point scale right kid?"

"Yeah."

"Dewey seemed, encouraged by your success. So may I ask: why is it so important that you took these classes? Because shouldn't anyone be able to take them tralala?"

"Like, in theory...? I think...? But like... not really. 'Cause like... if your grades weren't good then you wouldn't get recommended for them and like... only people who could afford to take the AP test took them--"

"Wait."

"{[Saaaaans?]}"

"Afford to take it?" he repeats.

"Yeah. Like, you'd have to pay like, 100 U.S. dollars per test."

"And you took four of these?"

"Yeah...?"

"So you got into college just because you could pay to take good classes?"

"I still had to work my ass off!"

"Sans doesn't mean it like that trala." RP reassures. "But yes. I must agree with him. It seems rather... counterintuitive... for you to attend a school which values diversity when most of the students with the best odds of admission can afford to take the AP tests and hire private tutors for the..."

The River Person pauses again. "The SAT--"

"{Ugh.}"

"Bad memories kid?"

"Oh you have no fucking idea!"

" trala, did you ever utilize one of these private tutoring services?"

"No! I had someone from school help me for free! Well basically for free we paid her per hour but still it wasn't a fucking tutor or something! I studied using really fucking long vocab lists online and braille books I got for free."

"And yet, somehow," RP's voice oozes intrigue, "despite these, setbacks, you received over a 2000 on your SATs overall--"

"{Hoooly shiiiit how do you--}"

"Dewey trala. Apparently he took the time to search for your records. I do not precisely know how he did it but... he did, trala."

"Huh. So that's how he found my SAT scores. And he probably even found the classes I took in high school and college."

"Yes. He said he saw how smart you were, and next this question's what I heard: he asked how you, so rich and smart, some-how, did not fall apart. For when you fell, you left behind so much, and yet, you do not mind.

“I know this, for you haven't broken; really you've been rather open. I'd think, if you missed your life, you'd want it back; if I am right. But you help us, knowing in full, your free reign’s lost on your return.

“How do I know? You barely mention family friends or where you're from. And thus, I rest my case with you, save one last point, then I'll conclude. Although there's things you're sad you left, what you don't miss, outnumbers them. Therefore, you join Papyrus' plan."

A haunting whisper in my ear. "I warn: if what you'll do still stands, be-ware the man who speaks in hands."

{[...]}

{[Whoaaaa…]}

[What are they--]

I sigh, but otherwise don't respond.

"Anything you may have on your mind I would be glad to hear trala," the River Person says more gently. "I just wanted to tell you what I observed. And see how accurate it turned."

"Like... but... that was like... all in verse!"

"I am rather proud of that myself. I pride myself on my poetry prowess."

"Whoa..."

[And it's still goiiiiing!]

{Yep!}

"Let me guess: the sigh means they're right?"

"Yeah..."

I turn toward Sans. "Like, I miss my cousins. We like, started hanging out together without our parents being there and like, that was fun. And like, my college professors are... were... like, really cool and like... they didn't care if I was a nerd or not. Blind or not. They give… gave… a shit about what I had to say. Like, even if they didn't understand it all, like, they listened."

"Like your parents and friends didn't?"

Another sigh. "No but like, my friends play... played... games together but like, I couldn't... can't... play with them 'cause they're online games that you can't play with just sound. Okay maybe but..."

"And your parents trala?”

I sigh again. “They just didn’t understand video games. Or anything I did for fun. Sometimes me and my dad would listen to music together but otherwise that’s it. And I… really wanted to live on campus but… it would have been too expensive. My thought was we’re already paying $50,000+ in tuition every school year. Why not live there?

“I always imagined myself living by myself after high school, ‘cause like, that’s what happened on TV but… it didn’t happen. It’s, it was embarrassing, that I have to be dropped off and picked up by my mom from school, when everyone else can go everywhere however they want. Even if they don’t drive they can take the bus and shit.

“And the people at school said that people who lived off campus had… have…? a harder time making friends in the first place… and my friends don’t go to the same school as me so…

“But why hang out with 'em if you don’t play the same games?"

The obligatory sigh. "It’s complicated… We've, we'd... known each other since middle school, basically. In eighth grade a few of us hung out near my math class during brunch and lunch every day. I also got back into Pokémon that school year since a Japanese kid moved to our school and he hung out with us so..."

"Human?"

"Papyrus?"

"What were your human friends like?" He lifts my left arm from my side, holding my hand between his, speaking in the gentlest voice I have heard him use thus far.

[Feels!]

{Chara?}

"Where do I even start?"

"Anywhere."

"Who showed Xenoblade to ya?"

"I met him in sixth grade--"

"He hgot a name?"

"Yeah. Eben. He like, put orange peels in my rabioli--"

[Whaaaat?]

“Whaaat?”

"Did I," Mettaton slowly walks over to us, "hear that right?"

"Yeah...?"

"You don't sound so sure," Dewey comments uncertainly.

"Like, I don't know either but like..."

"Just..." Papyrus stammers, "w-w-w-why?"

"I don't know! We were in sixth grade!"

"At least," the River Person sounds amused, "if Eben meant to catch your attention, he should have asked for rabioli. That constitutes my social stimulus standard..."

"I mean, like, I guess that makes sense...? but like--"

"He decided to intervene in your lunch while you were eating rabioli and not spaghetti?!"

"Uh..."

{[...]}

"Let's go where you were before to talk about this, all of you."

"Sure Mettaton."

Papyrus helps me back over to my spot, where everyone sits down.

"So did you hang out with Eben in eighth grade too darling?"

"No. I hung out with Ian in eighth grade."

"What'd he do: put banana peels in your spaghetti--"

"SAAANS!"

"No! He like, introduced me to Portal and Okami and Mother... Earthbound... I still don't know the difference... Warhammer 40,000--"

"So he introduced you to the glory which is the cake!?"

"Yeah--"

"Nope."

"No...? He actually did...? He like, motivated me to look up Portal--"

"We don't talk about the cake."

"Duuuude!"

"Saaaaans? What are you talking about?"

"The cake is a lie."

"{Oh heeell nooo!}"

"Human? I agree!"

"Ugh... that meme is like, sooo old! Ugh!"

More groaning.

"But hey: anyone who likes Earthbound's my kinda guy."

"Yeah... he was the least weird out of the four of us. He'd like, make sure Eben and Chen didn't do anything stupid… too stupid…"

"Chen?" everyone repeats.

"His real name's Michael but we call… called… him Chen since it's shorter--"

"By one syllable..." Dewey trails off.

"Yeah I know. But it sounds cooler so..."

"So was he the one who put banana peels in--"

"SAAAAANS!"

"No... He like, was hella trolly and stuff. 'Cause like, he played really weird decks in the Pokémon TCG and Magic: The Gathering--"

"YOU LIKE pokémon!?"

{[Whoaaaa Paaaaps thooough...!]}

"Yeah. I've liked it ever since I was in... third grade...? I think...?"

"Undyne looves Pokémon!"

"No way."

A... mischievous… gneh heh heh. "I shall take the necessary steps so you can properly meet her so we can show you her Pokémon card collection."

"Duuude!"

"Anythin' else we have to know 'bout Chen?"

"He'd try to stop Eben from stealing my food during lunch in high school and he worships the Holy Cheese Muffin and made April Fools day Holy Cheese Muffin Day instead--"

"What the fuck?"

[I'm with Sans on this one.]

"This Eben guy--"

[Uh maaaan... Sans does not approve...?]

"—I’m just thinkin’ why the hell did ya hang out with ‘im?"

"He's nice though! He just... likes… liked… food... a lot... and I just so happened to have a lot of food every day ‘cause my mom would pack food for my friends and for me every day so..."

"Did he play Pokémon too kid?"

"Yeah like, he started hanging out with me and Ian and Chen because he saw me and Chen playing Pokémon and decided to move three feet over from the dudes he played chess with to play with us. And he made a deck with the cards he had at home and got completely recked since I tried hella hard to make a good deck--"

"Long as he didn't mooch cards or strats off ya--"

"No. We like, traded stuff though... and he got hella jealous one time when I got awesome pulls from booster packs he bought for me for my birthday… and the thing is is that he gave me half the packs and kept the other half…"

Clapping. "Eh. Get dunked on."

"Gneh heh heh! As you ought! You have amazing luck! Because you had the fortune to befriend me and the rest of the Gaster family! And the Inertia Society!"

"Well you’ve still gotta put in a shit load of work," I bluntly point out to Papyrus.

"I know that.”

He becomes much quieter, and much more serious. “I... I just want to honor our father as best I possibly can. He was... very kind. And also very smart! He was the smartest monster I knew."

"Yeah."

Sans and Paps sound... nostalgic… and in awe. "I... I hope that when we reach Hotland, we will have the honor of showing you his life's work. After all, he told us that presenting our achievements for a human would determine the true extent of our accomplishments as a civilization. Our values. Our reasoning. Our mastery of the world around us."

"And," any semblance of laziness disappears from Sans' voice, "in any case: you'll be staying down here for a while. Monster children for fifty-plus years have grown up surrounded by the magic propagated by the CORE. For some, they learn how it works before they're even literate. It's only fair you learn about it as well."

Sans laughs, filled with pride. "And I'm damned proud of what Dadster did, making the CORE. Whatever happens, we have to show it to ya. Even if we have to teach you how magic works from the ground up just so you can appreciate it. 'Cause frankly: you guys haven't done anythin' like it yet.”

Vibrations run through my body. “And even if you do, we did it first. And we'll lord it over ya as long as we live."

I sit in shock for a moment.

When I fell, I never thought about how I was able to charge my phone. How Sans and Paps heated their house. How their TVs worked. Only that I could.

I feel... completely ignorant...

How could I want Undernet access so badly, knowing how hard it was to obtain, and yet, not realize how miraculous it was that the monsters even had electric lights and plumbing?

{[Whoa...]}

{[Thaaat waaas deeep...]}

"Yes. He said... we saw... showing off the CORE to other monsters was his pride and joy. Doing so for a human?"

An eager laugh, and not just from Sans. "Damn. He would've been bouncing off the walls."

"Sans?"

"Yeah bro?"

"May we stop at Undyne's house? I wanted to accompany Pauline to meet Undyne. If anyone were to escort her when they formally meet, it should be me."

"I'm with ya completely on that. The rest of us can go ahead to Hotland. To tell Alphys what to prepare."

"Well, you and Dewey can go." Mettaton says. "As for me, I have YouTube content to catch up on."

"We are almost there trala," the River Person calls out. "Gather your things and prepare to disembark. It was a pleasure to have you aboard Pauline."

"Thanks..."

{What do I call them?"

"What should I call you?"

"Tra la la, I have never needed a human name. But if you desire to designate my identity, you can call me Shakur."

"You mean like Tu Pac Shakur?"

"Yes."

More amusement. "I actually find his addressing of social issues rather candid."

"But he was like, explicit and stuff."

"I find his approach direct and appropriate. If it were not for his untimely death, I would have invested my time and effort to paying tribute to him."

"Duuuude… I never would've thought you were into that."

"Don't judge a book by its cover trala. Or in your case don't judge a monster by their worldview."

"I... I guess..."

Dewey's hand… on my arm.

He slides it down my arm until he touches my hand.

Those are Dewey’s claws interlocked with my fingers.

"I have your bag. We should be getting off in like, two minutes. I'll call you when I get to Hotland. And I'll tell Alphys all about you."

He sounds like he’s beaming. "She'll be sooo excited to meet you."

"What's she like?"

A light laugh. "You'll have to see for yourself."

"Oh. All of you?" Shakur calls out, "it seems your monster of interest has deduced our coordinates. She is running this way."

"HEY PAPYRUS!"

"Yes! Undyne!"

Papyrus walks past me, yelling as he goes.

"Where are you going?"

"Your house of course!"

"Perfect! I was on my way back from my early-morning run so... just bring her here."

"Very well. Put on your bag human."

"Okay..."

I have just finished doing what Papyrus asked when someone lifts me off the deck by the back of my bag... and I fly through the air... and hit... something...

Thank Alvis it's not the ground.

"Gotcha!"

A clattering of metal near me. "Gneh heh heh! I, the Grrrreat Papyrrrus, have stuck the landing once again!"

Undyne... yelling near me... and I'm still off the floor.

"Just hold still okay? I'll carry you."

"{[Heh?]}"

"I'll walk slow. Just tell me if you want to stop. You hear me?"

"{[Okay...?]}"

We begin walking. "Great! See you guys! And good luck." She calls out.

"Heya: next time we meet, it'll be your turn to get splattered against the ground."

"I'll give you greater warning next time, I promise." Undyne replies, voice slightly shaking. "And Dewey? Say hi to Alphys for me, will ya?"

"Will do. Good luck you three."

"See you soon!" I try turning around to call back to Dewey. A... rough hand... holds me in place as I crane my neck back.

"I wish I had carried the human like this Undyne. They… I would have avoided... the Canine Unit Fiasco."

Paps... suddenly on the verge of tears. "I wish I was as careful as you."

A smacking sound, and a "gneh!" from Paps. "Me? Careful? Don't be silly. Just wait and see."

Undyne's voice, close to my ear. "We'll be home in fifteen minutes, if we keep going like this. I've... never done this before."

"Ehh. It's okay."

"In the meantime," Papyrus seems closer to his usual energetic self, "I can tell you about the human's Pokémon Trading Card Game escapades with her questionable-save-one human guy friends!"

I jerk in Undyne's grasp. "Wait whaaaat! That's awesome! You must tell me how you vanquished your enemies!"

"{[Uh...]}"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ian, Chen, and Eben are all my real friends. The weird stories I tell about them are also real...
> 
> As for what Shakur infers about my life before I fell, what Dewey tells Shakur about it after hacking into... places... and what I tell them?
> 
> It's essentially true.
> 
> Also, for anyone curious about Gaster's role in Visiontale: now you know a little bit more.


	22. Chapter 22

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The true divergence from the original lore and cultural relativism begins!
> 
> That, and a more... thoughtful... characterization of Undyne... because after reflecting on it, I realized that the fandom is severely lacking in that...

22

"Here we are human."

Bony hands on my shoulders... and... a tugging sensation on my legs... as Undyne stops walking.

[Uh... Paps is making us float...]

{Heh?}

[Yeah...]

"I have the," Papyrus begins to say.

"Wait! I've got it!" Undyne interrupts him.

I eventually end up on my feet again, as a door near by creaks open. "I've already cleaned up. So nothing's left on the floor for you to trip on."

Undyne takes my arm… very tightly… and leads me inside, closing the door behind us. "Don't worry about anything while you're here. I'll take care of whatever you need."

"Wait... Papyrus?”

“Yes human?”

{How do I even ask…?}

“How am I wearing shoes?"

[I’m confused...]

{Same.}

"We put them on you before we left. Thankfully Toriel gave you a couple pairs. I remembered you never had time to put them back on before… the bad time…"

"Oh yeah... 'cause like... I fell unconscious yesterday without shoes on..."

I try turning to Undyne. "Hey speaking of which should I take my shoes off--"

"No! Just... sit down. I'll take care of it." She rushes over me.

{[Uh...]}

Undyne walks me forward a little. "There's a chair here. I'll put your shoes somewhere where you won't trip on them."

"Sure...?"

I take them off, and as soon as my feet are bare, slightly scaly hands brush my feet. Then... some stuff hitting... something...

{Huh?}

[She... threw your shoes on a shelf... a really tall shelf...]

{Oh...}

I stand up, hands out, about to try to walk around a bit, when the same pair of slightly scaly hands presses down on my shoulders. Hard. "Hey! What did I just say!? I told you: I'd take care of everything!"

"I know," I'm trying to get over the fact that Undyne sounds like she's angry, when... she... shouldn't, possibly feel angry...

"I know but... Papyrus said we'd come here and I don't know how long we'll be here so... I need to know how to--"

"Let me help you!"

"Uh… sure…?" I hurriedly agree. "Can you like, show me around so I know where everything is?" I ask her.

"But you're my guest. I don't want to--"

"Undyne? Pauline's right. If she's going to be in your company, she should at least be able to walk around a bit without bumping into things. She did this at my house."

"Ngahhhh."

A... somehow aggressive sigh. "Fine. But if you stub your toe on just one table leg--"

A whooshing noise and rush of air past my face.

"--I'll make sure it pays for its insolence!"

[Come on... what's so funny?]

{She referenced Xenoblade!}

Chara takes control of my body, and I begin walking around, two sets of clanking footsteps following close behind. I brush my hands against the edge of a table as I walk past it. "That's my battle table! The Royal Guard and I strategize while sitting around it."

"Heh."

"Her collection of Pokémon cards is also under that table!" Papyrus pipes up. “They’re in a box half as tall as you!”

[That’s not saying much--]

{I know I know!}

"Whaaat!?"

"Exactly! I hope that I can test my skill against you! Because you have been a trainer for years, according to Papyrus."

"I mean like... I've played the Pokémon TCG since... fifth grade...? but started doing it seriously in eighth grade..."

A heavy force on my shoulder. "Wait stop walking! My piano's there--"

"You have a piano?"

"Yes."

[You want me to get you over there?]

{Yeees!}

[okay. The piano's in the corner, next to the...]

Chara trails off. [Buster Sword replica--]

{Whaaat!?}

[Remember? Sans said he gave the larger Buster Sword to her?]

{I still can't believe Sans made all that stuff... it's like, kinda creepy...}

[He packed it with him--]

{Whaaat!?}

[Yeah... he brought the rack with him to Hotland. I think. He carried it down to his basement behind him with blue magic yesterday. So... he intended to bring it with him, I guess.]

{Lovely.}

"Human?" the two Royal Guards ask in unison.

"You play piano?"

"Yeah."

I eventually find the piano bench... and proceed to struggle sitting on it since it's tall... "And I used to play flute. And I sing. And write rap. And produce music. Well more like mashing songs together since I haven't found a thingy that'll let me make rap beats--"

"Oh! You should have told us sooner! Because Napstablooke also does--"

"Wait that guy?"

"Ghost, more like it."

Papyrus walks a little closer. "He's well-known around the Underground for making remixes of human music, and composing most of our original music."

"Duuuuude! But like, Undyne you play piano?"

"Yes. I took it up as a less... aggressive hobby, a couple years ago."

"What music do you play?" I ask Undyne.

"Human war anthems, I always thought they were interesting. From the, Civil War and the... Civil Rights Movement."

"Huh. You're in to that?"

"Yes!"

Sudden passion from Undyne. "I have a picture of Malcom X on my wall, right next to you. He... he's who I want to be like."

"But he was like... extremist--"

"I know that! But he... he wanted to help his people make a life for themselves. Without help from anyone else! That's... that's what monsters should do! When we get free, we have to make our own way. That's what I've trained all my life for."

"Uh..."

I lift off the piano bench. "So you're saying I shouldn't follow Malcom X's example?" she growls in a much quieter… but much more threatening… voice, in my ear.

{Whoa sheeee's pissed...?}

[Not really... at least I think she doesn't look like it...]

"Like... uh... humans don't really like him... well some do but--" I stammer.

"But why?"

Equally loud passion and insistence from Undyne. "He's awesome!"

"Gneh heh heh… oh no..."

Apprehension... from Papyrus... {That's not normal...}

"What did Malcom X do?" he asks.

"Uh... it's been forever since I've thought about him... 'cause like, I only learned about him in junior year of high school...

"He like... wanted African American people to live separately from other people and crowdfund a shit ton of money so they could do that. But he like... was militant and stuff--"

"You think I don't know that?!"

Undyne, slightly hurt, but still passionate. "I know this! That's exactly what I think monsters should do! When we go free, we have to stick together! We... we can't rely on humans for everything again. We already use so much of their technology and ideas. We... we have to... to prove we're good enough. Our values. Our reasoning. Our mastery of the world around us."

{Whoa... Paps said that earlier!}

"Undyne... I... I never knew... you never seemed like..." Papyrus stammers.

Another "Gneh!" like earlier. "Come on, big guy. I may not like puzzles, but that... that doesn't mean I don't think. Even about this kind of stuff. Gerson told me all this."

"Well, he was... is... an honorary Inertia Society member," the skeleton muses. "He is one of the few older monsters who supports us."

"Exactly!"

A heavy arm across my shoulders. "Look I know you're thinking I'm gonna apologize for all this, but I won't. I can't. I've devoted my whole life to war. And it's gotten me really damned far. I have no reason to ditch it now."

"I mean like... you might just be staying in it since it'd take too much effort to change it."

{I know I’m probably fucked by saying this but it’s true…}

"I know..."

A much quieter, heavy sigh. "I've learned a lot about human politics, from Asgore. From your... Internet. I just... I just can't see us monsters doing things peacefully up there. Is it wrong that I want to defend our people from attack? Is it wrong I don't want our people getting run over like during the war?"

I don't answer.

"IS IT!?"

"I... I don't know! I just... I don't know! Like, I understand you but... you're going around doing this by trying to kill me!"

"Well what else can I do? We have six human souls. You're the seventh."

“Not yet—“

“You are.”

"I'm too young to die! I don't want to die. I haven't done everything I want to do. I'm... I'm only eighteen. I haven't started college. I still live at home with my parents."

"Human?"

Papyrus, much quieter than normal. "Can you... do me a favor?"

"About what?"

"Can you... you've been sitting here so long but... you still haven't gotten to play anything for us."

"PAPYRUS! WE'RE--"

"I know Undyne!" he snaps. "I've just... I've heard this so much before."

He takes a shaky breath, and his voice cracks. "I have... I have nothing good to say about this. This w-w-w-was... one th-th-th-th-thing our family c-c-c-c-couldn't ag-g-g-gree on. Ever. And this was one thing our family couldn't convince everyone else to agree on either."

He takes a breath. "And besides: the human doesn't even know about any of it yet. That is why I wanted to take her to Hotland. Because,"

His voice slowly becomes more impassioned. "if anyone can explain this to Pauline, it's Alphys! She was, is, the closest thing I have to Gaster. E-e-e-even closer than S-s-s-sans."

A moment of silence.

"At least," Undyne slowly replies, "take me with you. To prepare for peace, you must prepare for war. Alphys can do all that soft sciency stuff."

Another whooshing sound by my face. "You can't gloss over everything with science and CAD&CAD. We all grew up hearing war stories And playing war games, Papyrus. Even you. She can't know about one without knowing about the other. And besides: war and… extremism… is all I'm good at. Might as well put that to use."

"Human?"

[Oh God Paps sounds like he's about to cry oh God oh God oh God!]

{No no no no no...}

"I want you to play something... nice on piano. We need it."

[Oooh!]

{This is… unexpected…}

[What should we play?]

{Like… what do you play after…}

"Maybe something from Xenoblade." he suggests.

"Uh..."

"Can you play Engage the Enemy?" Undyne asks. "It's my favorite song from the whole soundtrack."

"Or," she contemplates, "SOMETHING BADASS!!"

"Okay."

{Almost all the music I know is badass battle themes!}

[Well that's fine.]  
{I guess.}

I reach my hands over to the piano keys, slightly confused about the stickers on them. I press some keys, surprised how the piano sounds... in tune and clean. It even feels normal. I scoot closer to the edge of the piano bench, searching for the pedals. After a couple seconds, I take a breath and bang out the first chord, Papyrus "Gneh!"-ing when I do.

*A couple minutes of trying to replicate badass guitar chords on piano later…*

"YEEEAAAH!"

"I... didn't expect that." Papyrus... sounding sheepish. "Okay."

"Your execution was sloppy but it sounded pretty good."

[Woooow Undyne critiquing us though...?]

"Yeah I know... I only took piano in elementary school. I quit in sixth grade because school... honestly I don't think I learned much either."

"How long did you take lessons?"

"From... first grade... maybe before.. until sixth grade..."

"I can retrain you."

[Whoaaa...]

"Like... I really wanted to take piano lessons at school, just so I could play You will Know Our Names right. 'Cause it's like... hella badass."

"I KNOOOW RIIIIGHT!" Undyne fervently agrees.

Someone lifting me off the piano bench and setting me down in another chair. "But not as badass as THIIIIS!"

*Some attempts at trying not to sing along which utterly fail because Chara later...*

"Duuude yeees!"

"Gneh! I wish I could play guitar, just so I could accompany you and Undyne. Or the violin, because it is even more technically difficult than piano! And we all know the Pokémon theme isn’t nearly as awesome without that guitar solo!"

"Come on you can get Alphys to print you one. I mean, she made me my piano."

"{[Whoaaa!]}"

"Yeah! She's really smart. She suggested I take up piano so I could play our favorite anime music together--"

"Duuude! You watch anime!?"

"Yeah. And play games. I play the Pokémon TCG with Alphys--"

"Wait duuuude! Like, what cards do you even have?"

Some clanking footsteps and a loud crashing noise. "I have lots of them. But... they're mostly just copies. I... I don't know how to preserve any that go down the waterfall but..."

[Oh maaaan she's happy right now...?]

{I think she's a bit more than happy...}

[Yeah true...]

"How old is this stuff?"

"When did you play?" Undyne asks, much quieter now.

"Like... 2011 through 2013...? and a little bit of 2010. But I know about cards starting from Diamond and Pearl...? so... 2007...?"

"I have copies from then!"

"Sweeet!"

"You can have some if you want."

"But Undyne, she can't read them. She would need them brailled--"

"Oh that! You mean stabbing holes in the paper?"

"Yes...? Kinda...?"

[Hey I'd call it that too...]

"Um... how about we sort out what cards you want and then go see Alphys--"

"Wait wait wait! Maybe... Toriel gave me..."

I touch the front pocket of my bag, and the slate-and-stylus appears in my hands. "We can use this to braille them."

"But that will take forever!"

"I'll come with you to Alphys so I can help you braille them!" Undyne enthusiastically suggests.

"That works."

"How about we all sit at the battle table and sort through the cards? I can write down your decklist."

Some rummaging-around-in-a-bag noises. "And while Undyne reads you those cards, I can look into this, Magic, game you spoke of earlier."

"But like... I never really played it that much. I had a deck but like... I hadn't figured out how I'd play yet. I'd use Pokémon cards as proxies..."

"I will find a way you can play!" Papyrus matches Undyne's enthusiasm as he walks over and leads me to the table. "Are either of you hungry? Because I packed spaghetti!"

"Duuude!"

"Ngahhhh! YES PLEASE!"

;*A couple hours of nerding out over Pokémon and Magic and Papyrus downloading a copy of the Magic: The Gathering rules to my phone later...*

"Have everything Undyne?" Paps calls out.

"Yes! I... I just have some clothes to pack, then we can leave." Undyne shouts back from upstairs. "Is Pauline ready?"

"I'm ready. Just have to use the bathroom."

"Okay. Then we'll be off."

I walk over to the bottom of the stairs and ask: "Where are we going?"

Some clanking sounds down the stairs, and Undyne's hand on my arm. She slips it downward so her... scaly... fingers intertwine with mine. "We're going somewhere special. I... I know we could just take the River Person to get there but..."

After a couple minutes, we walk out the door, Papyrus in toe. "This is something you have to see--hear--smell--touch."

"And maybe taste!" Papyrus pipes up as we begin walking away from Undyne's house. "Because there are plenty of edible plants around there. Monsters use them in their cooking."

"Yeah. But more importantly?"

A... firmness... enters Undyne's voice. "I wanted to do my part in educating you about our people. Waterfall is... a living, breathing museum for most monsters. The ones who remember living on the surface live there. And Waterfall is where we..."

She takes a... shaky breath, which hitches in her throat. "Where we first recorded our history. Before we had computers. Radio. The printing press. There are carvings on the walls of the caves in Waterfall, telling our story. I take my daily run through there every day. To remind me of... of what I'm fighting for.

"Every monster walks through there early in their lives. If you're really serious about helping us, you have to..."

A strange combination of bitterness and zeal. "You're gonna have to do more than just enjoy Mettaton's TV show. You're gonna have to do more than just make a few friends. The only way you'll be able to help us is... is... you need to become one of us. After all just by adopting your human culture most of us have become human. Even I have, and I don’t even like much about you guys. In the process of giving up your human ways, like nearly all of us gave up our monstrous ones, we will accept you.”

A whooshing sound… and a long, thin object being shoved into my hands. Undyne pushes my hands upward until my fingertips brush a… sharp point.

I’m holding a… magic spear… which Undyne turns in my grip so the point presses against my left arm, just below the elbow. I tense up, expecting great pain, but I only sense a slight prick and little breaking of skin.

She hurt me… and I let her.

“Personally? I will accept nothing less."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I accessed the Wikipedia page on Malcolm X on February 13, 2017. What we say about him is based on what is said there.


	23. Chapter 23

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The elaboration on Dreemurrite politics and the appearances of Monster Kid finally begin!

23

It doesn't take long for us to arrive in Waterfall… and for… something... cold... to drip on my head. "Is it raining?" I ask no one in particular.

[No... it's... just wet... we're underground there's no rain come on I’d think you’d know this!]

{Okay...}

"No human. It's just... dripping from the ceiling."

As I walk between Undyne and Papyrus, holding one of their hands in each of mine, he continues, voice slightly muffled, "I texted Sans and told him we'd be taking the long way to Hotland. He said he'd check up on us soon."

A short, uncertain gneh heh heh. "In the meantime I sent him the rules for Pokémon and Magic: The Gathering. He said it'd be fun for all of us to do while the Undernet is down."

"The Undernet's still down?" I'm surprised.

"No not at all. Just... Alphys thought it may go down soon. When monsters find out you've decided to live in Hotland well... Mettaton will be very conflicted."

"Good to know Alph is keeping out for you." Undyne says roughly, but much less aggressively than usual. "Just... tell Sans we'll be AFK for a while. It's..."

A short breath. "It's only fair we have our phones off for this. Because... this place is a museum, after all. It'd be rude to disrupt that."

"Of course."

iPhone-ish tapping noises from near by, and Papyrus speaking alongside the tapping noises. “Sans it is I, Papyrus WD Gaster. We have just arrived in Waterfall. We are—“

"No need for that."

"{[Shit!]}"

[Woooow even Undyne freaked out.]

A... impossible whistle from Chara. [That's a thing.]

"BY TESLA!"

{Heh?}

[Uh... Paps is... like... freaking out too...]

"Oh come on: I said I'd be checkin' up on you guys soon didn't I?"

"SANS!" we all retort in unison.

[Awww you're even freaking out together!]

{Like you're not?!}

"Of course." Undyne... hurriedly apologizes. "We're... just on our way through Waterfall. Tell Alphys it might take a few hours."

"She already knows. Actually, me and Dewey were gonna ask you to bring Pauline through here anyway." is Sans' casual reply. "So this is good. I'll be goin' to Grillby's. Updating the rest of the crew--"

"Ugh..."

"What?"

"You're too old for that!"

"Heh heh heh heh heh. Really? Ya think that?" He’s… more amused than offended.

"Yes!" I can't help but say.

"Just by how I sound, how old do ya think I am?"

[Uh... serious question all of a sudden whaaat?]

"Uh... I don't know... just... too old!"

"If ya say so... anyways, anythin' ya want me to tell the others?"

"That Pauline has... talked to Undyne. And that Undyne has taken it upon herself to exhibit the more... marshally-oriented... aspects of our culture."

Papyrus sighs. "Oh, I hope the others aren't too worried. Robin's probably worried sick! Or hell: just sick!"

"Nah. It's Reed and Wrighte askin' this time. They wanna get some material for their next article. And well."

A humming in the air and the ground shaking under me slightly. [Nope nope nope nope nope nope nope!]

"They didn't trust anyone else with relaying info between us so... yeh. This is what I'm doin' now. I'll be goin' to Snowdin every day when everyone's on break."

The tingling sensation of Sans' hand on my shoulder. "Welp. I'll be goin' now. Anythin' you wanna tell the others?"

"Uh..."

"Tell Robin," I say slowly, "to print out some blank Cards Against Humanity cards. 'Cause I have some... ideas... for cards next time we play."

"And," Papyrus adds on, "tell Grillby he has my permission to serve my spaghetti in his restaurant. It... it will be a powerful symbol, to have our foods served side-by-side. It will… ease the residents’ minds."

"Of course bro. See ya. And... good luck."

"Thank you." we reply in unison.

A brief instance of intense light, shining in front of me. Then Sans is gone.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hx102NjYwqk

Loop until the next note appears.

"Well, we've no time to waste." Undyne tugs me along. "There are some puzzles to solve. Paps, can you--"

"OF COURSE! I... I assumed you and the human would want some... more private time to yourselves anyway."

"There's a waterfall coming up. We have to walk under it at the right time, since rocks fall down it."

Undyne laughs. "Me and Alph made the puzzles here. I... don't like them so... I just plonked some rocks upstream."

"Okay go human!" Papyrus eggs me on.

Undyne shifts my hand so she is the one tightly gripping my wrist, and we run under the water. It only lasts a second, and I don't even feel much water drip onto my head. "Very good human.

“Now, after we go through the next room, there will be a Bridge Seed puzzle. This room we're walking through now has nothing in it.

But before I begin solving it, I'd think you'd want to know what I will be doing when we get there."

"Sure."

"Well, the Bridge seeds are very large aquatic plants that thrive in magic-rich environments. When four of them line up, they sprout to form a larger, connected whole."

Squelching and splashing sounds as we walk across the room... and rustling sounds. "Yo!"

"Heh?"

Footsteps. "Oh my God I c-c-can't b-b-b-believe I c-c-c-came at the r-r-r-right time!"

"Heh?"

"Hey hey calm down." Undyne tries to calm the monster down. "I've never seen you around here before. What's up?"

"U-U-Undyne," they stammer. "I th-th-th-think you're so cool yo!"

A, delighted laugh, from Undyne and Paps. "Gneh! Of course she is! But, not as awesome as the human!"

Papyrus nudges me forward a little. "He's in front of you. I suppose you two can shake hands--"

"Or we can do this yo!"

Metal... no... plastic, fingers grab my wrists and turn my palms outward. I press them up against the monster kid's own palms, noting how they seem somewhat similar to Mettaton. "I'm Will yo. And you're Pauline right?"

"Yeah. But... how do you know me?"

"My parents won't stop talking about you yo! They're seriously excited about you."

"Really?"

"Yeah!"

[He's like, holding a finger to his lips.]

"But they're," Will says more quietly, "not very happy. They're really mad at the Dreemmurrites."

He laughs. "My dad called them some baaaad things."

"{[Tell me more.]}"

"I... can't say them out loud. He said I... I might have a, bad time…"

We all shudder a little.

"I, almost want to know what your father said," Papyrus nervously fills the silence, "just so I can tell Sans later. And affirm whether it warrants a bad time but... gneh heh. That wouldn't be very nice."

Undyne repositions my hand on her wrist again. "You wanna come with Will?"

"Oh yeah! I mean, yes please yo!"

"Duuude!"

Splashing water against my shoes as the four of us walk along. "So your parents like me and Paps working together?" I ask.

"I'm on the other side yo! Next to Undyne!"

"Oh..."

"I have to keep remembering to tell you stuff like this. My mom said it makes us look bad if I don't yo."

"And I would know." Papyrus agrees.

"But yeah: they're really excited. When they're not talking about you, they won't shut up about this, Gaster guy!"

"Really?" It's Paps' turn to be intrigued.

Papyrus stops walking. "We are at the beginning of the first Bridge Seed puzzle. I will hand you one Bridge Seed so you know what you will be walking on. They are, very big actually, but light. Hold out your hands please."

A fat, rough and wrinkly bundle... falls into my arms. "Hoooly shiiit it's huuuge!"

"They're pretty long." Undyne sounds amused. "Papyrus will put them in the water so we can cross over."

A chuckle. "Well personally I'd jump it but... yeah..."

[She's, like, glancing over at Paps' Gaster Blaster...]

{I forgot that's a thing.}

[Oh it is... it's like, hovering at his shoulder and staring at her all creepylike.]

Chara and I make shared, internalized shuddering sounds.

Papyrus takes the Bridge Seed back and begins walking away, boots squelching as they sink and lift out of the mud. "I will drop four of them in at a time and create a bridge, four Bridge Seeds wide and... ten Bridge Seeds long. When submerged in water, the Bridge Seeds expand, becoming longer and firmer. They easily support Undyne's weight, so you have no need to worry."

"Thanks Paps."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xNTwYzoFzck

Loop until the chapter ends.

While Papyrus constructs the bridge, I ask Will, "So like, your parents were talking about Gaster?"

"Yeah! They, really like him. At least I think so. They..."

Will pauses for a second. "They're really happy you're working with Papyrus. 'Cause they think Papyrus is really smart yo! They actually wish Gaster was king, not Asgore yo!"

"Whaaat?"

"No way." Undyne seems like she's holding back her anger.

"Way yo!" Will seems to have no idea Undyne's angry. "They keep telling me Gaster is the smartest monster ever! And his sons are smart too. They want the Inertia Society to rule the Underground, because they know about humans yo."

"The puzzle is finished!" Papyrus announces. "Come along. The next room has an even larger Bridge Seed puzzle."

Papyrus positioning me so I am walking behind him, his right arm extended out behind him. Undyne stands behind me and wraps a... very buff... arm around my shoulders. "So you're saying," Undyne asks Will, "that your parents want a Gasterocracy? A government ruled by the Gaster family, not the Dreemmurrs?"

"Yeah! 'Cause they think that Asgore isn't very... human smart yo." He hesitates a second.

A yelp. "Please Undyne don't hurt him he's only a kid!" Papyrus’ words rush out as we step off the swaying Bridge Seeds onto solid ground.

Deep breaths and... angsty sighs. "I... I want to agree with you. Asgore... never really got why I wanted to know about human weapons. He knows it's for self-protection but... he can't help me at all about that. But even so, if it weren't for him I wouldn't have this job. He trained me, you know.

"When I was younger, I tried fighting him."

A fond laugh. "But he kept dodging my attacks. But he... he said I seemed strong. So he trained me in magical combat. I had to have Alph help me learn about human military tactics."

"We have reached the second Bridge Seed Puzzle! This one will take somewhat longer, but no worries! I, the Grrrreat..."

Papyrus stops in the middle of his... title...? "No. I, Papyrus Wingdings Gaster, shall ensure you safe passage."

I thank him again. "You were saying Undyne?"

"Asgore trained me in magical combat. Only a few months ago did I get to be strong enough to knock him down. And I've been training with him for... hmmm... several years now.

"And it's not like I haven't tried telling him about science. Science is awesome! Just look at the Mythbusters! They're my kind of guys!"

"Duuuude!"

"Oh man!" Will pipes up. "They're so cool! My parents have every episode on DVD yo! They want to meet them, when we get on the surface!"

"REALLY!? I wanna talk to Jamie 'cause I want to try growing a beard!"

"Undyne...?" Papyrus sounding... uncertain. "I don't think that's how human facial hair works--"

"At least I CAN grow facial hair!"

"[Ooooh!]" Will, Chara, and I respond to Undyne's burn.

[He better have burn heal!]

{Truuuue!}

"But, that's not my point." Undyne continues. "I love human science. But I... I also want to protect us monsters from attack. And if I have to use human science to do it then... I will!"

Undyne, suddenly grabbing my hands, and positioning them in front of me… so they grasp her spear, planted in the muddy ground. "And if it means I have to take up a different weapon so I can protect everyone, so be it! I, I've already learned some new magical combat techniques from Alphys' research. But I know that won't be enough."

"The second puzzle is finished! Human! Take my hand. We can walk side-by-side this time."

Undyne's spear... disappears from between my hands. "Whaaat?"

"It's magic. I mean, I'd think that was obvious but..." Undyne clumsily explains as Paps and I begin walking on the Bridge Seeds.

"Heh..."

When Papyrus next speaks, his voice seems... much closer, and comes directly in my ear. "The next room we call the Wishing Room. I will let Undyne describe this room to you because she passes through it every day. I n-n-never c-c-c-came h-h-here m-c-much be-f-f-fore I met h-h-her so..."

{What's with Paps?}

[Feels.]

{Oh...}

When we step off the Bridge Seeds, I immediately notice a… faint sweet odor. Undyne nudges my arm with her elbow, indicating me to hold onto her. We walk forward a few steps, then stop. Undyne draws me closer to her and drops her voice. "This is the Wishing Room. There are blue stones in the ceiling. Monster children come here all the time to wish upon them. And when they say their wishes, the Echo Flowers repeat them back."

I gasp. {Oh my God… that’s like… soooo sad… and so deep…}

[Yeah. I… still can’t believe they’re here. And that monsters do this.]

"The Echo Flowers," Papyrus walks closer to us, "are everywhere. They're little flowers of different colors. They... can't grow anywhere else because they need a ton of magic to grow and thrive. They are very sensitive to monsters' magical signatures. That sensitivity is how they can repeat what is said to them

But this is also one of the few places where monster-made technology is basically forbidden. There are residents living near here, but a minimum distance away. This place is our attempt at natural preservation."

"The echo flowers also smell pretty nice. They--" Undyne pauses, then continues, "well here."

"Undyyyyne!"

"It's fine Paps. It's just one. And I can always replant it."

A... tickling... on my nose... and Chara giggling. "Smell that?"

I take a deep sniff. "Yeah. It's... good."

"Echo Flowers are a delicacy, you know. Only the richest and most important monsters can afford to season their foods with them," Papyrus whispers. "I would know. I... Dadster Sans and I, we would garnish spaghetti with them, and cook with them, if we were lucky. According to most estimates they are more valuable than caviar."

 

"Wow," I continue sniffing the Echo Flower... then jerk it away from my face as I hear someone say _Wow._ faintly close to my ear.

An uncharacteristically light laugh from Undyne. "Come on don't be such a crybaby. We said the Echo Flowers repeat back the last thing said to them."

"Oh yeah..." I sheepishly bring the Echo Flower back toward my face.

"I remember this place." Will says. "I wished here just a few days ago."

In the same quieter voice, but slightly muffled, Undyne asks, "What'd you wish for?"

[She’s leaned down to talk to him.]

"I wished for a good grade on my next science test."

"Eh! I did that in school tooo!"

Undyne nudges my arm, signaling me to hold onto her again, and she walks forward slowly. "When's your test?"

"In a week yo. It's on... basic magitry."

"Heh?"

"Gneh.”

A short pause.

“Yes, that is true; you have yet to be educated regarding magitry, have you human?”

Papyrus sounding... different. Less loud, more composed, and... similar to how he sounded when he formally proposed our peaceful cooperation back at Grillby's.

{[Paps’ voice sounding all smart and important though…?]}

"Yeah..." I bluntly reply.

"Will? How about I make you a deal? You come with us to Hotland, and I'll get Alphys to help you study for your test!" Undyne somewhat returns to her usual self.

[Duuude Will's face though...!]

"You mean it!?"

Will yelps. "You bet I do! When you're finished with us, you'll kick that test's--"

"Undyyyyyyne!" Papyrus whines.

{[damn.]}

"We're coming up to another room. There's some writing on the walls in there. I'll read it to you. It’s… the reason why we brought you here."

Undyne walks forward more quickly, the scent of the Echo Flowers soon fading away as we step into a... damp-smelling place. {This… smells like rain.}

"We're standing in front of the first panel. We're gonna walk to the edge of the dock. Just... hold on to me okay? You ready?" Undyne asks.

"Yeah."

Undyne and I walk forward a couple more steps, but she suddenly stops. Chara and I each try moving my body, only to fail miserably.

A faint... tingling shoots down my spine. [Uh... why is our soul blue?]

{Uh... why you asking me?}

After a few seconds, Undyne begins to read.

"The War of Humans and Monsters.

"Though countless tomes have been written regarding monsters’ suffering during the War, one mystery remains.

Why did the humans attack?

"Indeed, it seemed that they had nothing to fear."

We slowly walk over a few steps. [Oh thank Tesla we're not blue--oh. Or nah. We're blue again.]

Undyne continues. "Humans are unbelievably strong. It would take the SOUL of nearly every monster just to equal the power of a single human SOUL."

The tingling of blue magic fading momentarily as we walk a little farther down the dock, only for it to return again when we stop. "But humans have one weakness. Ironically, it is the strength of their SOUL. Its power allows it to persist outside the human body, even after death."

Another cycle of the blue magic fading away, our group walking along the dock, and the gravity-manipulation magic reappearing as Undyne solemnly speaks once more. "If a monster defeats a human, they can take its SOUL. A monster with a human SOUL... A horrible beast with unfathomable power."

Walking to the next panel. "The power to take their SOULs. This is the power that the humans feared. This power has no counter."

Walking to the next panel. "Indeed, a human cannot take a monster's SOUL. When a monster dies, its SOUL disappears. And an incredible power would be needed to take the SOUL of a living monster." 

Walking to the next panel. "There is only one exception. The SOUL of a special species of monster called a Boss Monster.”

Walking to the next panel. “A Boss Monster's SOUL is strong enough to persist after death... If only for a few moments."

Undyne raises her voice slightly as we arrive at the next panel. "A human could absorb this SOUL. But this has never happened. And now it never will."

Any softness in undyne's voice suddenly fades. Bitterness, resentment… emotions I can’t even begin describing… take its place.

It’s almost like she’s… blaming me.

"The humans, afraid of our power, declared war on us.

“They attacked suddenly, and without mercy.

“In the end, it could hardly be called a war.

"United, the humans were too powerful, and us monsters, too weak. Not a single SOUL was taken, and countless monsters were turned to dust...

"Hurt, beaten, and fearful for our lives, we surrendered to the humans. Seven of their greatest magicians sealed us underground with a magic spell. Anything can enter through the seal, but only beings with a powerful SOUL can leave.

"There is only one way to reverse this spell. If a huge power, equivalent to seven human SOULs, attacks the barrier... It will be destroyed.

"But this cursed place has no entrances or exits. There is no way a human could come here.

"We will remain trapped down here forever."

As we walk past this progression of panels, Undyne seizes my arm tightly. When she next speaks, I sense her breath in my ear and passion and… determination… flowing off of her. It is like when Papyrus told me he would enter the Royal Guard, even if it cost me my life.

"However... There is a prophecy. "The Angel... The One Who Has Seen The Surface... They will return. And the underground will go empty.”

{Whoaaaa…}

“Only they can constitute the catalyst for change we desperately need.

“Only they can constitute the equal and opposite reaction our people require.

“Only they can force our civilization free of this prison and accelerate us toward our freedom on mass."

My body seizes up in Undyne's grip just before I fall to my knees. [Oh dear God why are we blue now!?]

Around me, a chorus of voices rings out as one, full of… determination.

Resolve.

Loyalty.

Undying, unshakable loyalty.

Just from hearing it, I can tell they’ve spoken in unison this way… many times before. These voices don't belong to the same monsters at all.

“And only they can break the state of inertia which is our imprisonment.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kudos to Sir Isaac Newton for providing inspiration for those last few lines.


	24. Chapter 24

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finally!
> 
> I can say this about multiple aspects of this chapter but... spoilers...
> 
> If you want to know about how I chose the background music for this chapter, read the endnotes.

24

I don’t know how long we continue walking after… everyone denounces me.

In a strange way, it doesn’t surprise me that everyone wants me dead. After all, Laura and Amy said so themselves back in Snowdin. Just…

Just… hearing it from Papyrus is… disconcerting, to say the least, even after our conversation before our fight.

Hearing him essentially call for my death in the same sophisticated voice he used when he proposed I work with the Inertia Society, only makes it worse.

{What the hell…?}

[… Why you confused?]

{*Sigh…* Everything.}

Just… Paps wants me dead!}

[How does this surprise you? He wanted to capture you before so--]

{*Sigh* Like, he told me he was raised to want to capture humans but… I never really believed it ‘Cause back in Snowdin if he really wanted me captured he could have just done it or he could’ve just killed me…?}

Chara stumbling over their words. [I just--]

I sense composure slowly emanating from them. [Look: you might think Paps saying that and him being nice can’t exist… but they can. I mean, you said you wanted to kill him if you could.]

{I know but--}

[Just ‘cause you’re blind makes it so you can do crazy stuff and hurt people just so you can get what you want ‘cause you have to do crazy things to make up for being blind? The monsters are evil just for wanting to live on the surface?]

{But you said at Toriel’s place that doing what I can to get what I want is good!}

[I said it isn’t bad it’s not the same. You should know that!]

{So now you want me to just ignore that--}

[Yes.] Chara interrupts firmly. [Yes I am.]

If it weren’t for me holding onto Papyrus and undyne while walking, I would have stopped dead.

You think you’re much better? You said the U.S. is war-based. So how can you judge them for wanting to fight all the other humans just to keep everyone safe? John said in those Crash Course U.S. History videos the U.S. fought a lot to keep everyone safe. It was from communism and not monsters but still… communists were monsters to them, back then.]

They… don’t sound their age… and they claim they weren’t even in fifth grade when they came here…

{You have no fucking--}

[Yes. I. Do.]

A chill runs down my spine. Chara suddenly seems… cold. Sharp. If everyone around me could hear how Chara sounded, they would have no idea we were… friends…

They would have thought Chara wanted me dead.

[You showed me those. World War II. Korea. Vietnam. All those wars in the Middle East I get confused about and don’t wanna try properly identifying ‘cause you’ll get triggered ‘cause political correctness--]

{I never--}

[You’re remembering that phrase. Everyone used it. And you try acting like you are it. But really…]

Chara’s creepy laugh. [You’re not. If you were, you wouldn’t have been all mean about Toriel not knowing about smartphones. And you wouldn’t have been surprised about Sans knowing about the Internet, just ‘cause Toriel hadn’t known.]

{I--}

[No.

I’m with Undyne: you need to learn about how monsters live. ‘Cause they know how humans live. It’s only fair.]

A note of sadness in Chara’s mental voice. [And… I have… I did, so… you need to too.]

I mentally and verbally sigh.

“Human?”

Papyrus shifting in my grip so he is speaking closer to me. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.”

“I know it’s not nothing. I… I can feel there’s something wrong.”

Quiet concern. “You… you seem sad. Why?”

Another sigh. {I… I have to tell him, don’t I?}

[If you don’t I’ll make you. I… I’d want to kno this stuff. They should know it.]

{*Sigh…* Fine.}

I take a short breath. “It’s just… I didn’t think you’d say that. That… thing… I thought you… you were raised to be nice to humans.”

“Not nice. Just… respectful. But yes. Dadster taught me to respect humans as individuals. Just like how some monsters… some monsters only respect fellow monsters as individuals.”

“Oh.”

Papyrus’ wrist shakes between my fingers as we walk into a… rain-smelling area. Like the ground after it rains.

“I… I always knew there was something, different, about what Sans, Dadster, and I said about humans, compared to everyone around us.

Not that many other monsters looked into human science. Let alone using it to… to win favor among humans. They’d just use it to find ways to kill them, like Undyne wanted to do. Wants to do.

“But even then… even then… I listened to Asgore.

“I HATED IT!”

The first time I’ve ever heard Papyrus shout about… not me…

“But I…” he sounds somewhat hoarse and conflicted, “he was… I didn’t want to make him mad. Or worse, sad. He’s… he really is—“

Raw sobs shaking Papyrus’ bones. “I… always thought… a-a-always knew… what D-D-D-Dadster s-s-s-said and what A-A-A-Asgore said… they c-c-c-couldn’t be t-t-t-t-true all at once. That… it was wrong that both happen all at once but… but…”

The shortest of pauses. In spite of myself, I can’t help but feel curious about what he will say next.

“IT STILL DID! I STILL DID BOTH! I STILL WANTED HUMANS DEAD! I still thought killing them would lead me to become popular and prestigious. Even after he told me I had to respect humans…”

Papyrus stops walking and wrenches free of my hand. “I… I know you’re angry at me. Don’t hide it. If you want… NO! You have to tell me exactly how you feel. You… you know what I’m doing is wrong. That’s why you’re angry. And sad. Isn’t it?”

Without hesitation, I admit, “Yes. But that’s not all.

“I’m angry… well maybe more than just angry. ‘Cause… well… I told you if it weren’t for Sans convincing me to do it, I wouldn’t have thought of talking to you. I wouldn’t even have cared about you. I would have killed you.”

I admit part of what Chara just exposed. “We’re… we’re both hypocrits. I don’t have the right to tell you what you’re doing is wrong. ‘Cause I did… still do… think the same way.”

“Gneh heh. I suppose.”

Defeated.

That is how Papyrus sounds.

[I never thought I’d hear Paps sound so… defeated. I’d say it’s not like him but… I guess it is now. Even he knew he was acting conflicting.]

A resigned {Yeah…}

“I don’t have the right to be around you. Not… not after—gneh!”

“Papyrus.”

Undyne sounding… soothing… and slightly muffled, like talking into cloth. “It’s… you’re a good monster. You really are. If you weren’t, I wouldn’t have made you second-in-command of the Royal Guard!”

“But…” Papyrus sniffles a couple times before composing himself. “But… I’m not…”

“YOU ARE NOW!”

Metal clanging on metal and a couple startled “gnehs!” from Papyrus. “THERE! You’ve gotten the first request you wanted. I’m officially making you my second-in-command. So if I’m not there, you’ll represent the Royal Guard in matters of civil unrest and Dreemmurrite business. MONSTERS MUST ANSWER TO YOU!”

The air around us smelling of ozone. “And as a show of my support for your position, I will officially wear the Inertia Rune on my armor, in place of the Delta Rune, for contrary to its name, it does not truly convey the avenue toward change us monsters need.”

Several gasps, and not just from Papyrus. “Yo! But you—“ Will stammers.

“I KNOW! But do you really think I’d leave Papyrus behind for the sake of politics? NO! HE’S MY FRIEND! If it weren’t for him and Alphys growing up, I wouldn’t have given a damn about human science at all. I… I would’ve been like those Woshua losers. THAT’S NOT WHAT us MONSTERS SHOULD BE LIKE!”

Undyne wrapping me… and Papyrus… at least I think so because I hear some cracking sounds and smell… the faint scent of tomato sauce… close by… in a tight hug. “Paps? You’re here because of science. And Pauline? Science allowed you to attend school. Some nerds decided that making braille would help their fellow man. And someone else invested supposedly better-spent cash on JAWS and the cane and hell! Trying to give you guys your sight back! Just because I wield a spear, doesn’t mean I’m just a soldier in the military sense. I fight for what I believe in!”

{[Whoaaa that was deeeep…]}

“Undyne?”

I’m not even sure how to describe Papyrus’ voice. It’s like he’s out of breath but… he’s a skeleton so…

{Uh… Chaaaraaa?}

[Yeah?]

{Do skeletons need to breathe?}

[… Uh…]

Confusion between us that can’t be conveyed in words.

“You’re… squishing us…”

“And where’s my hug yo!?” Will pipes up.

Undyne lets go of us.

“By Edison!”

“OH HOW DARE YOU MENTION--!”

“Oh man. That’s not even the biggest hug I could give you.”

Undyne’s excitement is infectious. “I’ll save that hug for after you kick that basic magitry test’s ass! Now COME ON! We’re almost to Hotland! Just down this wood ramp and a couple more minutes of walking and—“

“Undyne! There she is! Wa ha ha.”

“{[Heh??]}”

“GERSON!”

“Heh?”

“Old man I didn’t think you’d be at work today!”

“I wasn’t. I was on the way to MTT Resort for a party! But I just so happened to catch a snippet of you youngsters’ conversation and…”

A stereotypical old man laugh. “I couldn’t help but be intrigued, you know. And I was wondering why the air around here was hummin’ so hot with magic!”

“Gneh! Gerson! It’s a… very pleasant surprise to run into you like this!”

[Oh maaaan if only you knew how hyped Paps was right nooow…?]

{Whyyyyy?}

“I couldn’t agree more PG. And well, considering the changes to your and Undyne’s armor, how could I pass this up?”

“Whaaaat?”

“Oh how could I forget? I guess this is what happens when you get as old as me! Wa ha ha! I’m Gerson. I used to be the Inertia Society’s Resident Archeologist. But I retired long ago and decided to spend the rest of my life beating up criminals and contemplating the question of whether higher powers exist in this world instead!”

“{Whoa duuuude…}”

“I know you wouldn’t know this but, yes! You’re right! You’ve the right to looked so shocked. Undyne couldn’t believe it either, when she was a little urchin.”

A nostalgic sigh. “But to answer your question, Papyrus and Undyne used to have the Delta Rune on their armor. It is a winged circle, above three triangles forming a… oh Papyrus what is—“

“A trapezoid sir!” Papyrus eagerly supplies.

“Wa ha ha! I can’t math, as you young people call it. But yes, a trapezoid. Most monsters when asked will say this represents the Dreemmurr royal family, or the monsters underground. And that the circle represents the surface.”

“Interesting. Why do they call it the Delta Rune?”

Gerson’s voice sounding closer than before. “Well, according to the Inertia Society, the symbol delta represents change in human, well, I suppose, math and science as a whole. And well, when the king and queen’s son was born, monsters were filled with hope. They thought he could change things. But really? No one knows exactly when the Delta Rune came into common use.

“The thing is? Papyrus and Undyne don’t have the Delta Rune on their armor anymore. It’s… complicated. I’ve seen it hundreds of times and I still forget what everything means!”

“Oh I know what it is yo!” Will’s excited. “My teacher just told us about it last week! It’s a free body diagram!”

“Well,” he hesitates, “it’s stylized, but still.”

“{Ugh…}”

[Whyyy?]

“So you know what they are yo!”

“Yeah…” I’m not sure of how to feel, or how to convey my response. “Just, physics stuff… ugh…”

I shudder.

“Don’t worry yo! This one’s easy to understand! It’s a square with an arrow pointing down, coming out of the bottom side. But there are two arrows pointing out of the top, with horizontal lines going through them.

That means the forces pulling the box upward are greater than the force pulling it down! And the two top forces are reactions to the force pulling the box down. That’s what the… hashmarks… mean.”

He stops to catch his breath. “Hey. Paps. Did I say that right?”

“Yes! Exactly! Good job Will.”

“But like… aren’t the arrows labeled with the force amount too?” I uncertainly respond.

“Yeah! That’s why it’s a stylized free body diagram yo! The two arrows on the top represent two forces: the Inertia Society and the rest of the Underground. The box is our civilization! Their hard work is resulting in the net force necessary to get us back to the surface.”

“But what about the hashmarks? I never learned about that.”

“That means the Inertia Society and the rest of the Underground are forces reacting to the force of humanity holding us down!”

It takes me only a moment to appreciate the symbolism… and the nerdiness. “{[Whoa thaaaaat’s deep…!]}”

“And the arrow pointing down is that force.” I clarify. “Usually, arrows pointing down like that are gravity but…”

“Exactly yo! You’re smart yo! And you keep saying you don’t like science yo!”

“I like it. Just… Physics Honors was hell…”

“And the magnitude is actually labeled, in a way yo! It’s because the force acting downward is just a triangle, with a very short arrow length. The other two arrows are much longer yo!”

“I guess that works…?”

“So yeah! It’s only complicated before you learn it. I mean, Gerson learned it! And he grew up before Newton was even born yo!”

“{Duuuuude!}”

“Wa ha ha! Will’s right. But you shouldn’t have to learn about this so informally. I won’t keep you any longer.”

Slyly, he says more quietly, “Now you have something new to tell Alphys. For such a young whippersnapper she’s one smart cookie. You’ll make her happy ‘cause she spouted facts like that all the time back in the day. You two should become fast friends.”

In a, reverent voice, Gerson becomes louder, and I sense that he’s leaned away from me… and seems to be talking toward the sky…

Well… not the sky…

“Monsters knowing things like this sure made Gaster proud. This will help her remember that. I know this has damn well helped me remember.

“As Gaster once said, ‘The Inertia Rune succinctly captures the Inertia Society’s purpose: to prove that our members, alongside the entirety of the Underground, have the capacity to generate the net force necessary to overcome the humans’ intentions to imprison us.

“‘And how will we generate this net force? With our values. Our reasoning. Our mastery of the world around us. If we succeed, we shall prove to humanity that we are their intellectual equal.’”

Gerson sighs. “I wish you could see how happy I am. I’m simply giddy that I remembered that speech!”

“{Duuuude! That’s… that’s what Gaster sounded like?}

[That’s what his speeches were like yeah.]

“I am too.” Papyrus whispers.

He sounds on the verge of tears… but not sad ones this time.

“My parents showed me that speech yo! They have copies written down in our house yo!”

“Duuude! Like, you guys really seem to like Gaster.”

“Oh I wouldn’t say that. Admire is more like it. But as long as I may have known him, Alphys, Sans, Paps, Dewey, and Alphys are the only ones left who can really say anything about him. I’ll leave the details to them.”

Some rustling sounds from near my feet. “Well I should get going. The rest of the Freudians will get damned mad if I don’t show up on time.”

“Freudians?” I repeat.

{Oh God oh God oh God oh God!}

[Whyyyy?]

{‘Cause… Freud was… weeeeeird…}

[Oh.]

Chara suddenly talks faster. [Wait wait wait wait ewww by Oedepus oooooh noooo!]

{Yeah… but like dude we watched Hank explain Freud--}

[I know I know but but but I didn’t know Freud before I watched that!]

“They’re the psychologists of the Inertia Society. They’re having a… group free association session… to deal with their repressed memories of their time working under Gaster.”

A wicked-sounding laugh. “But I just think they’re doing it to get drunk! Wa ha ha!”

It seems like Gerson’s turned away from me. “Undyne? Paps? Take care of Pauline, will you? She’s… she’s the target of our research now. You need her in one piece when you introduce her to Alphys!”

Two monsters’ hands seizing mine. “COME ON!”

{Whoa hooooly shiiit that was loooud!}

[Yep!]

“Ngahhhh! We’ll carry you there it’ll be faster just hold on help me Papyrus!”

“OF COURSE!”

As the two Royal Guard members position me between them and begin running, Chara asks, [Does the thought of finding out what’s the fucking deal with Gaster fill you with determination? And don’t argue you aren’t thinking that ‘cause I know it’s true.]

{Yeeah!

“{[Ahhhhhhh!]}”

*Several minutes of bumping along, praying we don’t fall down, and Will, Papyrus, and Undyne loudly and eagerly talking over me as we go later…*

“HUMAN! WE’RE HERE!”

An unexpectedly gentle process of letting me down on my own two feet… and Papyrus talking much louder than usual…

“JESUS!”

“I knew you would find Hotland uncomfortable at first, and not just from the heat. Hotland has the highest concentrations of magic in all the Underground! To help you acclimate to this new environment, I stopped along the way to grab you several cups of water! Well, more like water induced with magic but…”

Papyrus nudges one of my hands with a cup, which I drain quickly. “Thanks Paps.” I gasp when I finish.

“I’ll make sure Will gets inside safe,” Undyne explains, “and then I’ll help Paps debrief everyone.”

Undyne’s seriousness fades somewhat. “And besides: I want you to meet Alphys alone. I think you two nerds will get along reeeeally damn fast.”

“I agree Undyne. I’ve set the cups of water between your feet. COME ALONG WILL! My brother will be thrilled about your physics knowledge! And your parents’ support of the Inertia Society!”

“Hell yeah yo!”

Clunky footsteps rushing away from me.

When they’re out of earshot, I mutter, “Fucking hell it’s hot!”

[Look dude: Asgore might be baaaad at names, but he’s not thaaaaaat baaaaaad at names…]

{Uh… I guess but…}

I bend down and grope between my feet for the water.

Now that the Royal Guards are gone, I notice a faint hum of… machinery. All around me. It reminds me of walking somewhere quiet, and hearing the power lines over my head. Either that, or the whir of my fridge or the rush of air from my heater at home, but all these sounds happen all at once.

I also notice… the taste and smell of ozone fill the air. Not as strongly as when Undyne used her magic earlier, but it’s still there.

There’s also a… more familiar sensation: a tingling like when Sans used his magic. As I shift my feet so I can pick up a cup, they feel… lighter. Like… I’m walking on air. Like… if I walked too hard, I’d start floating. Like how astronauts said how jumping on the moon made you feel like you were flying.

It also seems like the air itself is agitated, and not just because of the slight breeze flowing past me. This… agitation… it makes my skin crawl, and I can’t help but continually run my fingers over my arms to make sure nothing is crawling on me. When I’m not doing that, I can’t help but pace back and forth, just to keep myself moving because…

Well, the air is moving too.

It’s moving with me.

Somehow, for some strange reason, these… habits… reactions… seem perfectly reasonable.

[Dude?]

{Huh?}

[Don’t be nervous about Alphys. Trust me she’s pretty chill.]

{I guess…}

[And does the prospect of handling some awesome technology fill you with determination?]

“{Yes.}”

Much slower footsteps, but toward me this time… and distant muttering?

“Oh. My. God. I d-d-didn’t expect her to s-s-show up s-s-s-so s-s-s-soon.”

More footsteps, and more urgent and slightly louder muttering. “I haven’t showered! I’m barely dressed! Literally the whole lab’s all messy and--”

A couple more seconds of footsteps, which soon stop a couple feet in front of me, followed by some… mutually-awkward silence.

Loop the song from this link until the end of the chapter:

https://soundcloud.com/fredrikhathen/alphys-from-fallen-an-undertale-tribute

“H-h-hiya Pauline! I’m Dr. Alphys, King Asgore’s Royal Scientist.”

“Hi.”

“You m-m-may be wo-wo-wondering how I kn-kn-kn-know your n-n-name.”

“Yeah… kinda…”

“That’s because… well… I’ve known it f-f-for a l-l-long t-t-time. Ever s-s-since you left the Ruins, I’ve b-b-been observing your journey on my security consoles. Your f-f-fights. Your f-f-friendships. Everything.”

“{Uh… Whaaat!?}”

Alphys rushes through her words. “I’m s-s-s-so s-s-s-sorry ab-b-b-bout th-th-th-this. I d-d-did it because S-S-Sans wanted me to. He int-t-t-tended to help you g-g-get here as soon as p-p-p-possible. Th-th-th-there was n-n-no other w-w-way.”

Her voice breaks. “I h-h-hope you can forgive m-m-m-me.”

“Oh my God… Alphys… It’s… it’s okay…” I try comforting her. “I…”

I trail off because small hands and short fingers… no… not fingers… touch my hands at my sides. When I begin touching them back, curious about what’s happening, Alphys’… claws… lift up my hands and readjust my fingers so our palms press together.

“I mean… I’ve already given Sans my phone password and Google already knew everything about me back home soooo… ehh. I’d be mad but… what’s the point? You at least knew about me so I don’t have to tell you everything like I’ve done with, like, almost everyone else…”

“I know that. We guessed that’d b-b-be the only r-r-reason you wouldn’t b-b-be mad at m-m-me for keeping t-t-tabs on you like this.”

When Alphys next speaks, she has stopped stuttering and seems louder. “Besides: watching someone on a screen really makes you route for them. I mean… you must know this. I’ve seen how much YouTube content you’ve been retweeting… well—“

A high-pitched, nervous laugh. “—reposting underline. And I’ve known this for a long time, from watching anime and Let’s Plays—“

“DUUUUDE YOUUUUU WAAAAATCH LEEEET’S PLAAAAYS?”

“Y-yes.” Alphys, taken aback. “I s-s-started watching LPs a few y-y-years ago. And I’ve also finished Ch-Ch-Ch-Chugga’s LP of Xenoblade so…”

“Duuuude!”

“Oh. I’m… um… I’m g-g-getting ahead of myself. Just… take m-m-my arm, ok-k-k-kay? We’ll be walking on some… conveyor belts to get to the Lab and… they move p-p-pretty fast. But don’t worry! It won’t take us long to get there.”

“Sure.”

[Oh man dude I just realized Alphys and you are basically the same height! Duuuude you’re not so short after all!]

{Yaaaas!}

[Well not exactly. She’s, like, Sans’ height--]

{But Sans is taller than me!}

[Yeah… that’s why I said basically!]

{CHAAARAAA!}

“Anyway,” Alphys says in my ear, “watch your step. And let me w-w-w-welcome you to Hotland.”

She pauses a moment before launching into her explanation. “W-w-we use raised conveyor belts to get around here. Below us are the real streets. Well I g-g-g-guess you can’t c-c-c-call them streets because the conveyor b-b-belts are where the r-r-roads would be, and th-th-th-there are sidewalks or w-w-w-walkways on either side but… you g-g-g-get it right--?”

“Yeah I get it.”

“And most of the buildings have e-e-elevators in them. We’ve built everything u-u-upward, to s-s-save space.”

“Whoaaaaa duuude I heard that’s what people wanna do in cities.”

She laughs a little. “yeah. And that’s just the half of it.”

We stop. “Well more like that’s just the infinitesimal but… Wait I have something to do be-be-be-before we can… I n-n-need to scan… there! Good you didn’t diffuse my field of knowing.”

“{Heh?}”

“Oh yeah. We use the patterns of magic emitting off of monsters to identify them. Like f-f-fingerprints or t-t-tongue prints for humans. That’s how I op-p-pened the door.”

A clicking sound, and I walk inside, only to stop after a couple steps. “Oooooooh my Goood there’s air conditioning!”

Alphys giggles, amused. “Yeah! We do this for the Snowdin Inertia Society members. We just cranked it up for you.”

We walk down a cool hallway, Chara giggling every time I feel the cool air brush my skin, and I make a relieved and hyped sound. “There’s a little ways more to walk in here. And we’ll have to t-t-take a longivator but—“

“Hehh?”

“It’s an elevator that moves longitudinally. It’s pronounced like the… first two syllables… of ‘longitude…’ That is, a-ss-ss-ssumming you s-s-say vowels like that…”

“Oh…”

[Whauw whauw whaaaauw…]

“But anyway,”

A short pause, then Alphys becomes… completely different. Businesslike. Composed. Frankly, she sounds like the smartest person on an anime or other cartoon: the one who uses their smarts to solve problems and communicates with everyone else using probably made-up sciency stuff…

“I had some, questions for you. I investigated human accessibility technology for the visually impaired and… I wanted to consult with you to make sure I’ve done it right.

“Like here: on the side of the elevator I just installed some 3D-printed signs.”

Alphys stops and takes my hand in hers, guiding it until I touch a… familiar surface.

“HOOOOLY SHIIIT IIIT’S BRAIIIIILLED!”

Exactly. Over the course of my research I learned that elevators have these. And there are braille signs next to doors. Well there should be but… I saw some pictures of your old school. And I couldn’t find them next to every door—“

“Oh duuuude my O&M instructor was sooooo pissed at that…”

“I still haven’t finished labeling all the doors in the Lab. That’s what Sans has been doing all day.”

“{[Duuuuuude!]}”

The elevator—longivator dings, and the doors slide open, Alphys positioning my hand on her arm again. “And, from watching you, I’ve been thinking. As quickly as Sans and Robin adjusted, none of them applied science seriously to your problems. And well… this is a priceless opportunity for me. F-f-for us.”

Stopping for a moment, the clicking of another door, and Alphys’ voice filling with undisguised eagerness. “I’ve been waiting my entire career for this! It’s… this is… this is what Gaster prepared us for. Not to help solve the Underground’s problems. No. He… he told us… demonstrating the extent of our accomplishments as a civilization would constitute the true test of our advancement as a civilization.”

As she speaks, I speak alongside her: “Our values. Our reasoning. Our mastery of the world around us.”

Alphys squeals in delight.

{[Jesus!]}

“You remember! You really remember! Oh man S-S-S-Sans and P-P-Papyrus and D-D-D-Dewey’ll be sooo happy! You’re a-a-a-alr-r-r-r-ready getting it!”

“Yeah. I guess I am. It’s just that… everyone’s been saying that so… eh. It’s not like I’d forget…”

Alphys stops. “We’re at the main dining area. Everyone else is here. Afterward, it’d be the Inertia Society’s honor to give you the grand tour.”

“Sure. Thanks Alphys.”

A quick burst of the scent of ozone… a humming feeling down my spine and along my tongue… a rap of metal on… wood? And a quick whoosh of the door. “Ya didn’t have to do that Alph. I undid the lock from the inside anyways.”

“[SANS!]”

Bony hands on my shoulders… and the tinge of magic through my body increasing in intensity. “Hey kid. I’d ask how you are but, I… I heard what happened in Waterfall. But we can talk ‘bout that later. How much did Alph tell ya?”

“You’re braaaailling the siiiigns!”

Laughter… and not just from Sans. “Yeh. It’s… actually not as much work as you’d think. Not once we programmed the 3D printer to label the plaques. But ehh. You don’t have to care how I made ‘em. Only that you won’t confuse a radioactive isotope storage room for a non-radioactive isotope storage room anymore.”

“{[Uh...]}”

Chara and I aren’t the only ones making cringy noises.

“SAAAAANS! Don’t joke about that yet! Only after the human’s toured the entire facility!” Papyrus shouts from inside.

“C-c-come on. I’ll find you a seat. I… we.. have a l-l-lot to talk about.”

Sudden confidence from Alphys. “But you can handle it. I know you can. After all, the members of the Inertia Society have been preparing for this moment for a century, at least.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I accessed the Wikipedia pages on the Greek letter delta and free-body diagrams on February 18, 2017 pacific time.
> 
> Here is the link to the Alphys voice!
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lrPZpVGLoC0#t=03m30s
> 
> This is literally the only cover of Alphys I've found which does justice to the nuances in the original. It's nervous, lively, and, later on, erudite and dignified. It reflects her personality, as well as that of Dewey, what Alphys could be if she genuinely tried to solve a problem, and didn't fail. It's what she would be like if she had the same personality as Undertale Alphys, except she has a place to channel her energy, one that she genuinely cares about.
> 
> The song also reflects how the Inertia Society headquarters is the first real showcase of monsterkind's achievements as a civilization, cause seriously: Alphys couldn't have done everything by herself. Even just considering the CORE/the architecture of Hotland, that's genuinely impressive. It's the first time I've seen a concrete example of how different monsterkind is, in terms of technological and cultural development, when compared to humanity.
> 
> In short: Alphys and the Inertia Society have every right to be proud/hyped... and that will only become more apparent as time goes on...
> 
> This is officially the first chapter to exceed 5000 words! I don't even want to guess about how long the chapters will be from now on...
> 
> If anyone wants a clarification of what the Inertia Rune looks like, someone can draw art of it, and link it in the comments... Then, the artist and I can make sure our interpretations of the Inertia Rune match.
> 
> I'm not completely sure of when physicists first started using free-body diagrams, but it seems like they've been using them for a long time. They're not the official way of representing force anymore but... that will come up later... maybe... I don't even know. I've researched many soft sciences and hard sciences at this point for this story so... who knows?
> 
> The link to the Wikipedia page on free-body diagrams is posted below, to make sure we're on the same page.
> 
> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_body_diagram


	25. Chapter 25

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is a filler chapter for the first... half or so...
> 
> Trust me: after this chapter... let's just say that all those allusions I've been making to using scholarly articles while researching Visiontale since the beginning will apply.
> 
> Also more made-up newspaper articles and politics!

25

Alphys extends her arm out behind her as we walk. "The g-g-ground floor is what I'm most w-w-worried a-b-b-bout. At least on the lower floors, everyone keeps things clean per regulation but. Here, not so much. And the h-h-h-a-a-allways are mostly identical, so if you m-m-miss the signs you'll get lost really easily. E-e-e-v-v-ven I d-d-do sometimes, when I'm not looking where I'm going."

"And you've yet to use a cane down here," Dewey's muffled response from behind us as Alphys stops, the click of a door following soon afterward. It swings open and... "{[Food!]}"

"Yeah. This is m-m-my room. Sometimes I have food Boxed to me when I d-d-don't feel like leaving."

"Alphys made the fridge a Dimensional Box so we wouldn't have to leave the room when we watch anime!" Undyne enthusiastically explains as Alphys guides me to one side of the room.

"My b-b-bed is folded up right now, to accommodate for work space. B-b-but I didn't collapse your bed in your room bec-c-cause you would orient yours-s-self to it. Well, this--"

"Hey Alph. There's uh, a load of stuff on that table. And most of it's fine magitry. Unless you wanna tell Pauline 'bout the clean room,"

"I kn-kn-kn-know Sans. It's j-j-j-j-just th-th-th-that, that's all scrap and... I'm just showing her the desk 'cause I p-p-p-put the same kind in her room, in the same place."

Alphys takes my hand and begins tracing the perimeter of the desk, stopping every so often to describe drawer and cabinet placements. When we finish, and am about to begin feeling the desktop itself, Papyrus tentatively speaks up from behind us, near the door.

"Alphys? I know you have been preparing for the--Pauline's arrival for several days but... I had a suggestion to make. If you have not already connected her room to the Boxnet, at least make the receiver a tray, not just blank desk space. This will contain any spills and..."

He pauses. {Paps sounding really nervous though...?}

[Yeah it's weird. He's, frowning, somehow. Which is weird ‘cause this is a good idea. Why would he…]

{I don’t know. He’s been… less completely crazy lately…}

"That's t-t-true. While I g-g-go find a tray to put on your desk, Will, I'll show you to your room too."

"What! I have a room yo?!"

"{[Jesus!]}"

"Y-y-yeah. I c-c-called your parents. They said you c-c-can stay here so we can help you study. Actually--"

"SWEEEET YO!"

"And Undyne? I've set up a room for you too. I c-c-can show you that as well."

"LET'S GO THEN! WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR!?"

"And the rest of you can show Pauline to her room. And show her where your rooms are in relation. 'Cause I'm..."

Eagerness pouring off Alphys in waves. "I'm proud we found a way to make it work. And also, you guys ar gonna have to remember--re-remember how to get around here. 'Cause,"

She laughs a little. "It's been a while."

"Maybe you could work on collecting the materials necessary for CAD&CADing a cane for her in the meantime," Dewey suggests as he walks over and positions my hand on his arm.

"I've c-c-considered that though! But I c-c-c-couldn't find a good model. They were too flimsy and--"

"Alphys." Dewey says more gently. "It's okay. If one breaks we can always make more. This isn't just an experiment. This is... philanthropy."

"But d-d-d-dad--"

"Wait wait wait wait what! DAD!?"

"Oh yeah: I never told you; Alphys is my daughter."

"Duuuude!" Will and I... respond in the exact same tone of voice...

Dewey laughs. "I guess I should've said that sooner but, come on. From here you just have to trail some hallways and you'll be fine."

Dewey's... claws... on my hand, prompting me to take his arm. "See you later Alphys."

"We'll m-m-meet back at the main dining area l-l-later. I'll t-t-text you any changes. And bef-f-f-fore you ask Sans gave me your number."

"Ehh. That doesn't surprise me."

The door clicking shut, and our two groups walking in different directions down the hall."

... "So kid. To summarize: if you're standin' here on the long side of the bed, the door's where?"

"Uh... two-ish o'clock?"

"And on the short side?"

"Uh... ugh..."

Mentally struggling to rotate my perspective.

"It's uh... ten-ish, eleven-ish, o'clock...?"

"So, if I'm interpreting this right," Dewey walks around the perimeter of my room, closing cabinets, it sounds like, "walking in L-shaped paths is best for Orientation and Mobility?"

"Yeah. Straight lines are just good overall. Open spaces are, hard... and also crowded spaces are hard..."

"Wait can you come over here then so we can talk about that? The Dimensional Box is right next to the door. And right now the desk is there too. But we can move it if you want."

From the bed's position in the lower right hand corner of the room, I cut diagonally across to the top left corner, toward Dewey's voice, where he puts a hand out to stop me. "Thing is, the Inertia Society's looking for information on... how to accommodate you. So we're trying to train ourselves in O&M, in braille, in accessibility technology more generally.

“It's just... I've seen you walk around without a cane. Which is weird, 'cause visually-impaired people seem to need them almost all the time. I was thinking, since this place is so elaborate, you'd want to learn to walk it with a cane."

"I have dipped my head in the think tank regarding this dilemma as well."

"Jesus!"

"Oh sorry human. I was... already standing here by the Dimensional Box when you walked over.

"Ever since I returned here, I have been contemplating how you solved the invisible electricity maze. I realized that same... trailing... technique. Did I say that correctly? Because, that is what our Orientation and Mobility resources have told us--"

"Yeah Paps you're right."

"Good. I realized, if your room was located such that you would only have to trail the side of the hallway where your room's door is located to reach anywhere you wished to go, that would improve your experience navigating the Lab immensely."

I contemplate his suggestion for a moment.

"{[Duuude!]}"

"Gneh heh heh! I knew you would approve of it!"

"To get to Paps' room, make sure when ya trail the wall, it’s on your right. And to get to mine, the wall should be on your left. And the routes are L-shaped too."

Sans sighs, from... his place on my bed... {[SAAAANS!]}

"It's good we did this. Finding this room, I mean. We, really wanted to stay in our old ones." Sans says more quietly.

"Yes." Papyrus agrees equally softly. "Using our old rooms will help us remember. So we did all we could to make sure your living arrangements accommodated the three of us, Sans Dewey and me, as well as you."

"Wait Dewey where will you will be staying?"

"I'm right across from you."

"[Eh duuuude!]"

Dewey prompts me to take his arm. "Let's go to our rooms. Then we'll tour the ground floor for you as best we can. Then we'll let you get settled. It's... been a long day, so I want to give you time to think over this."

"Yeah okay."

*Around a half hour later...*

... "Hey we can't kick each other in this bed!"

"Truuuuue. Dude Chara like, what time is it?"

The blanket shuffling around on top of me for a couple moments. "Too lazy to look at clock..."

"There's a clock in here??"

"Yeah--"

"But I--"

"I know you can't see it it's for everyone else."

"Whauw whauw whaaaauw…"

"But yeah... I can tell you're tired. I'm... not as tired but... since you're sleeping I'll stay with you."

I switch positions so instead of facing the right wall, I'm facing toward Chara. "Will you stay the whole time though?"

They scoot closer so our feet touch. "Maybe. I'll try."

A... lock of hair brushes my ear, and I grunt in surprise.

"I'm so happy we're here." Chara whispers in my ear. "There's just soooo much I wanna show you. Everyone wants to show you everything. You wouldn't know but... all the monsters who saw you and the Skelebros, they looked so happy."

"I guess they would be."

"Just, look: by the time you've toured this place, you'll think you were really stupid for bitching about the Wifi."

A strange combination of resolve and sarcasm. "Just... I don't know what to say other than... are you determined to learn this stuff?"

"Yes."

Chara takes my hand under the blanket. "Hope Alphys told everyone not to use knock knock jokes to get you to open the door. That'd confuse us that's Sans' thing."

I laugh. "True."

Chara squeezes my hand. I squeeze back. "Good night. Afternoon. Ugh..."

Chara being flustered. "you get it."

"Good night Chara."

*An indeterminate amount of time later...*

... "HELL YEEEEAAH!!!"

We jerk awake. "{[AAAAAAHHH]}"

"What the hell what--"

"I don't have eyes in the back of my head!"

"That sounded... close by..."

"Yeah..."

Chara and I mutually groaning, scooting closer to each other because the air conditioning is too cold, and trying to fall back asleep again.

... "Ring ring ring ring ring ring ring; banana phone."

"{[Aaah *incoherent grunting noises* Jesus not again!]}"

"Chara get my phone!"

Grumbling and the blanket falling off me. "Must... reach... phone... without leaving bed..."

"Duuuude I know right?"

The sharp plastic scent of my phone case right up against my nose. "Here."

I touch my finger to the screen, and my phone reads out: "One notification. Phone. Call from: Sans Gaster."

I tap on it. "Hello?"

"Heya. You have a nice nap and or half sleep? 'Cause Dewey's worried he woke ya up."  
"Heh? I heard someone shout hella loud earlier--"

"Yeh that was him."

"[Wooooow...]"

"What happened? Dewey neeever shouts!"

"Magic practice. And the newest edition of Undermail."

"Huh."

"He wanted ya to be there when it gets read aloud with the rest of the Inertia Society tonight."

[Every time Sans laughs, quote Xenoblade.]

{But that'd be all the time.}

[I know. I bet it'd be only be a couple days before we run out of quotes...]

"Well, more like in a few minutes. 'Cause it's already nighttime."

"[Whaaat]?"

"Yeh. You've been asleep for a while. Everyone's waiting for ya."

"Oh my God..."

{They're waiting on me. Everyone in this damn place is waiting on me oh my God.}

"Ehh. It's all right. Want me to walk ya over? You can get there if ya walk to my room first."

"Sure."

"Be there in five."

"Bye Sans."

"See ya soon kid."

The end-of-call dial tone plays.

[Let's go wash your face so you don't look completely like crap...]

{Yeah truuue... Should I change out of my pajama pants?}

[Nah... everyone'll be wearing pajama pants... I think...]

{Thanks bro.}

... "So after walkin' down this hallway ya turn right. It's this first door."

"Sweet."

"WHOA YOU WHACK PEOPLE IN THE LEGS TO GET THEM TO MOOOVE!?"

“That’s sweet yo! Oh it’s me Will yo!”

"[HOLY CRAP!]"

"You didn't answer my question!"

"Undyne Jesus!" I try calming her down as I walk in the door. "But yeah why do you ask?"

"THAT'S AWESOME!"

"And painful." Sans... seems both intrigued and disconcerted. “I mean, I read about it underline but… still. Wow. You must’ve been a real ankle-biter….”

A collective groan… and acknowledgment that he’s right…

"Only if you don't move out of the way like lots of people did back in high school..."

"But come on! You're sitting with me and Alphy and Will tonight!"

"Didn't Alphys say the whole Inertia Society was gonna be here?"

"They're here yo. Just in rooms all the way down the hall yo. There's dining areas for each sector. And they’re sooo cool! The psychology one has a huuuuge portrait thingy of this guy with an awesome mustache. I’m here ‘cause they told me to come here yo.”

{[Oh God oh God not the Freudians…]}

Undyne nearly tearing my arm off my shoulder as she begins pulling me... somewhere... at least until she yells out in surprise, and we begin moving in a completely different direction.

{Whaaat's happening...?}

[Ugh... nope nope nope nope nope nope.]

“This is weeeird yo!” Will… sounding like he’s trying to talk while being bumped up and down…

He must have been dragged along too.

"Thank you for bringing Pauline over here brrrrother!!"

"Paaaaaps?"

We stop abruptly, Undyne and I nearly falling on top of each other, and Will grabbing onto my shoulder for support. "You are correct!"

"No prob."

{Wait whaaat?}

[Yeah... the three--four of us got dragged halfway across the room by Sans 'cause he didn't like where Undyne was making you sit...]

{Uh...}

*Mutual shuddering noises*

"And you even gave Pauline an end seat so she can get up more easily. I mean, normally a high-ranking Dreemmurrite official would sit there but..."

A quick gneh heh heh. "But there aren't too many of them here, are there?" he says more slyly.

Tomato sauce held close to my face?

"I, Papyrus Wingdings Gaster, am sitting on your right side!"

{Ooooh... is that the tomato sauce I'm smelling?}

[Yeah.]

{...}

“And I’m across from Sans, so one seat diagonally to your left yo! We’re at the very left side of the table, in the last, five seats.”

"Uh Pap-p-p-pyrus?"

Alphys, sitting directly across from me. "I th-th-think we should get d-d-down to reading the article now. Before we get too c-c-carried away."

"Of course Alphys! After all, we mustn't be careless."

"{[Oh my God you quoted Dunban all normallike!]}"

"Okay. I h-h-have a copy here. It's short but... you r-r-ready?"

"Yeah."

"Okay.

"Welcome the Waterworks: Pauline Passes through Our People's Most Prized Precinct--"

"{[Whoaaaa!]}"

A short "Wow." from Sans.

A whistle from farther down the table to my right, next to Alphys. "Did Shakur help make this headline? 'Cause the alliteeration is amazing."

"Dad? I d-d-don't kn-kn-know..." Alphys turns a little to one side to reply. She continues reading. "But it w-w-wouldn't surprise me.

"This afternoon, reports began trickling in that Pauline, the human friend of the Inertia Society, passed through Waterfall, accompanied by Papyrus Gaster and Undyne el-Shabazz. Residents report seeing them stopping at several locations in Waterfall, most notably the Plaque."

"The Plaque?" I repeat.

"It's th-th-the dock with all those engravings on the walls next to it."

"Oh..."

{For once the name isn’t thaaaat laaaame…}

"Anyway," Alphys continues, "l-l-let's s-s-see.

"A Woshua, on a walk at the time, recounts what she saw. "She respected Undyne and her position as head of the Royal Guard at least. She had the sense not to talk back to her, like she did Papyrus. She seemed very attentive."

An Aaron corroborated this statement: "I mean, I didn't really see much 'cause I was doing my daily flexing--"

"Heh?" I interrupt.

An awkward silence.

"It's a... long story..."

Sans trails off… which is completely unlike him. "It's a species-specific thing."

"What is he--are they--like hella buff or something?"

"Yeh."

Alphys keeps reading.

"--but yeah. She was much quieter this time around. If she'd been like that around Papyrus the first time she would've avoided lots of trouble."

"{Yeah... he's, probably right.}"

"But yeah: Undyne must have seen something good in her. Strong even. For taking her through Waterfall personally. Especially reading all that history to her. It looked like that was the first time Pauline saw us flexing our collective cultural muscles--"

"Heh heh heh heh."

"SAAANS!"

"What bro? That was pretty great."

"Truuue." Dewey affirms.

"A Moldsmal provides a differing perspective on Undyne's exhibition. "What I don't understand is why didn't Undyne have her kneel down at each panel? That's what you're supposed to do. It would have helped her become more intimate with our culture than just, walking by them, if you know what I mean."

{Uh...}

"Several more monsters have told us their reactions to Papyrus and Undyne's subsequent alteration of their armor. A Moldbyg finds this collaboration between the Inertia Society and the Royal Guard troubling. "It's not supposed to be like that. Separation of church and state, you know? And well: doesn't that put Pauline in danger? 'Cause she still seemed pretty scared of Undyne. But as long as Sans approves of it, I guess it could be worse."

"When the Undermail staff began receiving emails about Pauline's arrival in Hotland and sightings of the Inertia Rune on Captain Papyrus' armor, we attempted to contact her, Papyrus, or Alphys for an interview. However instead, Sans followed through with our request for information about these sightings. He issued the following statement on the matter.

"I respect the kid for doin' this. I mean, relative to the post-industrial nation she comes from, our history probably seems barbaric by comparison. (laughs) But according to Papyrus Undyne showed her everything she needed to know. It didn't surprise me Pauline listened so well. And it shouldn’t surprise you guys either. This is living history we're talkin' 'bout, not like what she read in her high school textbooks.

"As for Undyne bestowing that title on my bro? I say good for her. But she better realize that in the Lab, Paps, Alphys and I outrank her. The Inertia Society was created to conduct independent research for the good of all monsterkind. And she damn well believe I'm gonna enforce that in any way I can."

Sans concluded his statement with a note to the press. "If ya want any info on the kid, ask me. Long as she's here, she's under the Inertia Society's protection. And this ordinance isn't gonna change any time soon. It was one of the last things Dadster put in place, in his United Theory papers. We all wanna respect that."

With a stutter absent in the written article, Alphys reads, "And to emph-ph-ph-phasize this p-p-p-p-point, he pushed our chairs halfway across the r-r-r-room and up a-g-g-g-gainst one wall with us s-s-s--still in them. He apologized soon after, explaining that it was ne-ne-ne-necessary. “And ya better know this is true, ‘specially for you two.” We left the p-p-p-premises soon after."

Sans guffaws. "Oh: they didn't just leave. Reed nearly tripped on his own feet running out the door."

Papyrus... in awe. His concern is palpable. "You scared them that badly!? Reed has nerves of steel! Even during the Fishbock Fiasco he was never that scared!"

"THAT little thing?" Undyne scoffs from the end of the table to my left. "That was BARELY a riot!"

"But y-y-y-yeah."

The woody and bitter smell of a newspaper being shut. "Th-th-this was what we w-w-wanted to sh-sh-show you. So while y-y-you're here, you'll be safe. We'll all be."

"But that one Woshua was like, not as, intolerant, as the last one."

[Come on I know you wanted to say worse.]

{I know but... I'm surprised.}

[Same.]

An affirming "Mm-hmm." from Sans. "They're... pretty polarized as a species. About politics, I mean. They're either tree-huggers or reactionaries, if ya ask me."

Will begins giggling uncontrollably. “Hee he hee hee… my parents call them worse. He says they’re like the worst parts of environmentalists and the worst parts of all the conservative people.”

“Oh?”

Dewey and Sans… sound interested… and Chara and I aren’t sure of what to think of that…

“I… almost wanna know what he says ‘bout them but… heh heh. That wouldn’t be very nice.”

“Oh man!” Will doesn’t seemed perturbed at all. “Man! When he finds out about this he’ll tooootally want you to wreck that Aaron…”

[Oh God oh God oh God nope nope nope nope nope!]

{Heh?}

[Slight eye glow of doooom!]

{Oh God oh God oh God nope nope nope nope nope!}

“Trust me: if I could, I would. You’re just lucky he didn’t say anything creepier. They’re… kinda misogynistic… and some are also misandric—“

“What’s that mean yo?”

Dewey cuts in, “It’s not liking men. Reeeeally not liiiiking meeen…”

The sound of a wine bottle being uncorked, the very slow, thick dripping of it being poured, and…. "Uh... guys?"

"Yes human?" Papyrus seems… a little more than thankful that I found a way to divert the conversation…

"Why's it smell like ketchup in here?"

"Oh yeh. That? That's me."

"PAPYRUS!"

"{[Dewey?]}"

[And Undyne.]

{He sounds... indignant... and Undyne’s… basically the same.}

[Oooooh yeeeeeah he is. I never thought Sans drinking ketchup would make Dewey’s face get all red but--]

{Waaaait whaaat!?}

[Yeah...]

"Sans?"

Dewey leaning across the table, and adopting a… serious tone which I’m not even sure of whetehr to call fitting or not. "You never told her you drink ketchup?"

"She never asked."

"Never asked!?"

{[Woooow heee's piiised...?]}

"Never asked!? She never would've had reason to ask!"

"Wait wait wait wait hold up Dewey you can't be serious."

"Oh. I am!" he basically yells at me... Sans... both of us... "by Edison--"

"HOW DARE YOU MENTION--"

"Dewey Paps hold on ya don’t have to swear I got this."

Sans slowly takes his right hand in my left, moving it to the left until I touch a... slightly sticky glass bottle... and his fingers... phalanges... wrapped around the neck.

"{No way.}"

With my hand still on the bottle, Sans lifts it, tilting it toward him. {No way no way no way no way no--}

My chair rotating counterclockwise so instead of facing Alphys, my knees bump the side of Sans' chair.

With his right hand, he shifts my right hand so my fingers are... touching the lip of the ketchup bottle, a little of it trickling past my fingers, my palm pressed against his mandible by his metacarpals.

Only when Sans' teeth press against the tops and bottoms of my fingers and the neck of the ketchup bottle do I believe it.

"{[Ahhh! Ahhh! Ahhh! Oh God oh God oh God oh God okay!]}”

{“I believe you!!!}"

I remove my finger's from Sans' mouth... unsure of whether to wipe them off or suck off the extra ketchup, because... {Chaaaraaa?}

[Yeah?]

Chara being... equally surprised, grossed out, and... impressed…  
{Do skeletons have saliva even though they don't have like, full mouths and stuff?}

[Uh...]

Chara mentally sits in thought for a few moments. [Uh... I don't want to know...]

Alphys somehow breaks the silence. "Uh S-S-Sans? I d-d-don't think you had t-t-to--"

Plonking the bottle back on the table. "That's 'cause that's how ya don't elaborate on things said aloud."

"We never speak of this again." I'm trying not to cringe… and laugh… because he’s right...

"Oh: we'll speak of it again.”

Sans being as out-of-place serious as Dewey. “The neurology people needed some, info, about how you process stimuli. So..."

"So, you weirded me out for science?"

"We do what we must, 'cause we can."

"What's next are you gonna tell me Dewey's gotten Grillby to get him the bacon-flavored toothpaste and--"

"NO!" It's Dewey's turn to be indignant. "I mean, I'm getting in to bacon but--"

"OH BY FARADAY'S LISP CAN WE NOT DIVERT AWAY FROM THE ISSUE AT HAND MORE THAN WE ALREADY HAVE!!??"

{Whoa... Paps sounding all fancy again thooooough...?}

[Yep. Well nope it’s Dewey--]

{Heh?}

[I… don’t get it either…]

In an instant, I feel shame flooding off everyone in the room.

Dewey seems muffled, as if he's looking down, as he timidly says: "S-S-Sorry. I've just been so... tense about everything ever since Pauline got here I... couldn't help it."

A woosh of air past my face, and a yelp from Dewey. "Come on you big nerd it's okay. That voice thing was awesome! And besides: from what I hear, Alphy has big plans. Better get all that silliness out of your system before then."

“Oh man: how’d you do that yo?” Will sounding… genuinely interested.

“I…” Dewey sitting in thought. “I… don’t know what you’re talking about…”

“But you sounded all dignified and fancylike yo!” Will insists.

[Dewey’s like, shaking his head really really really hard…]

“I… don’t get what you’re saying but…”

[Sans and Paps glanced at each other.]

"Big plans?" I ask Alphys.

"Y-y-yeah. Here's the th-th-thing. What Dewey and the Gasters showed you to-d-d-day is only part of the Lab. They showen you the m-m-m-most frequently-used areas that everyone sh-sh-sh-shares."

Alphys' sounds... shaken. Breathing quickly and shallowly, she continues, "Starting tomorrow, I ha-v-v-ve to tell you a-b-b-bout the most imp-p-por-t-t-tant aspect of my research. What I've been d-d-d-oing over the past t-t-t-twenty years."

"But Alphys?" Dewey looking up suddenly and seeming apprehensive. "You don't mean--"

"I do mean it." Alphys replies firmly. "I have to. Gaster said... he told me... this was... one of the… the most… important things of all to tell any human who made it here. I--"

"But Alph."

Sans losing all traces of his joking self. "It's awfully technical stuff. The kid hasn't taken a college-level biology or chemistry or psychology or sociology or neurology course--"

"I took a dual anatomy and physiology class in senior year of high school. I think it used a college-level textbook--"

He turns to me… I only know this because he stacks his hands on top of mine, and when he next speaks, he’s louder. "That's not the same. At least, let one of the Sperrites talk to--"

"No Sans."

{[She didn't just--]}

Sans removes his hands from on top of mine.

"I need to do this. Alone. Or at least, me you Dewey and Paps need to be the ones to do it. We... we were the ones who studied this. And well, Pauline trusts us."

An uncertain, halting giggle from Alphys. "At least, she knows us the best. And I think as of right now, that's the most we could ask of her."

[Sans nodded his skull. So did Paps. And Dewey just… nodded.]

{Good to know.}

"Well, if you say so."

Alphys takes a deep breath. Her claws brush the backs of my hands, manipulating them until our palms press together to perform the Inertia Society handshake. "Pauline?”

“Yes?”

“Tomorrow, it will be our honor to give you a tour of the most sensitive facilities in the Underground. What we call the True Lab. Where the Gasters and I performed research on the nature of the SOUL."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just to clarify: the orientation of the furniture thus far in my room is (clockwise):
> 
> 12:00: Dimensional Box  
> 12:30/1:00: desk
> 
> 4:30-5:00: the bed, short side where Chara and I slept against the back wall.
> 
> The door (Relative to the front short side): where described
> 
> The door (relative to the long side of the bed not up against the wall): where described
> 
> 12:00 corresponds to an object being directly in front of me, 3:00 directly to the right, etc.
> 
> The orientation of everyone sitting at the dinner table (bottom-right to top-right):
> 
> Papyrus, me, Sans  
> Undyne (at the head of the table)  
> Will (sitting across from Sans)  
> Alphys (sitting across from me)  
> Dewey (sitting on Alphys' left, across from Papyrus)
> 
> I know the position cues were vague, but that's because when I sit with people, I only know where they're sitting once I hear them talk.
> 
> We're heading to the True Lab next, boys.
> 
> The prospect of finally explaining my crazy DT/magic theory... it fills me with determination.


	26. Chapter 26

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Let's just say the editing process for this chapter was... horrible.
> 
> On one hand, I learned how to merge two documents together in Microsoft Word.
> 
> On the other hand, I realized how annoying it is to go through and edit every instance of quotation marks being replicated or words being stuck together and replicated...
> 
> {[Never again.]}
> 
> This is why I create separate documents for each day I edit a chapter...
> 
> This is another long chapter, the second one to surpass 5000 words.
> 
> All I can say is...
> 
> After a week and a half of writing, and around five months of contemplation...
> 
> Here we are.

26

The next morning... day... Chara and I scoot around in bed, a pillow between us, trying to find a pair of positions which would allow both of us to fall asleep… and not kick each other. As I adjust my position, my fingers brush Chara's hair, splayed across the pillow.

They shift so they face me, their breath blowing against my face as they giggle. "Why you playing with it?" They suddenly sound… strangely younger than usual.

I make an unsure sound. "It's short."

"It's not that short. Shoulder-long at most."

Chara's arm emerges from the blanket, their hand touching my right shoulder. "Why you looping it around your fingers? Do that with your hair not mine." They push my hand, but not enough to actually motivate me to move it.

"Sorry."I mean," I'm unsure of how to respond. "I just... I've been doing it since... I don't know. Forever. It's a habit."

"How are you?"

"I'm okay. A little tired still but--"

"We went to bed at 12:00 for once!"

"I know but--"

"And it's like--"

Chara presumably glancing at the clock. "--six o'clock. Or something. I was confused when I saw you awake."

"I told you I woke up at 6:30 in three out of four years of high school."

"But you aren't a morning person."

"Oh." I grunt. "You have nooooo ideeeeeea. And it turns out teenagers don't function properly until the afternoon to begin with so..."

"Oh: I think I do. I'm... still pretty tired."

Chara readjusting the pillow separating us. "I'm scared." Barely above a whisper, they lean in close to me.

"I…" I take a breath. "I just don't know what to think. On one hand, I wanna know how determination works but... Alphys she... she was nervous. Even more than she usually is… at least I think, from the little time I've known her…"

"Yeah." Chara says shortly. "Just a bit."

"I mean this research is secret so... it makes sense."

Chara doesn't reply for a moment. "How about this? You seem awake enough. You wanna go tell Alphys you're ready?"

I groan. "But it's soooo early."

"But you're awake."

"Ugh... I'll go wash my face and stuff and we'll see if I wanna go see her or not after…"nah

Chara patting me on the shoulder as they disappear.

I slowly walk across the room, out the door, and down to the bathroom, the last door on my section of the hallway.

After washing my face, and contemplating how my life has changed so much that someone has actually convince me to wake up early, I leave the bathroom, and someone calls out: "Hi it's Dewey."

"Hey."

He walks closer. "Sleep well?"

The verbal equivalent of a shrug.

"Yeah... the four of us stayed up late."

He laughs a little. “We just woke up. Everyone's in the dining room. I know it's early and you're not a morning person but... you hungry? The sooner we get done the longer you have to process it all."

"Uh… yeah."

“Good. You'll need all the time you can get. Just... Alphys said to change into... stirdier clothes and. And bring your bag and phone and phone charger. Oh: and pillow."

"Okay…?"

"I'll wait in front of my room okay?"

"Okay."

*A few minutes later*

Alphys' chair scraping against the floor, and her presumably standing from her seat. "Okay. L-l-let's go. The elevator to the True Lab isn't t-t-too f-f-far from h-h-h-here. Just… take my arm, ok-k-kay?"

"Sure."

"I told my parents what you told me, that I'm coming with you yo."

Will, sounding serious for the first time. "They're, kinda scared. But happy too yo."

"You're coming?"

I'm, more than surprised.

"There's a reeeeeal damn good reason for that."

Sans… speaking from the corner? "Yeh: might seem kinda weird 'cause we told ya me Paps Alph and Dewey would be the only ones comin' but…"

[He shrugged.]

"--but trust me: it'll make sense."

I stand from my seat, slinging my bag across my body. Alphys' claws press lightly on my right shoulder, and I slide my hand down so it rests on her left elbow. As we exit the room and start walking down the hallways, I ask Alphys "Where's Undyne?"

"Well, the th-th-thing is, she kn-kn-kn-knows this stuff. Kinda. Already. She, actual-ll-ll-y suggested she not go. 'Cause… this isn't her expertise. She told you about our… our inclination t-t-t-toward war. We'reWe're going to t-t-t-tell you about our aspirations t-t-t-toward science.

Our group turning right, walking a few dozen feet, then stopping. "Uh… g-g-guys? I d-d-don't th-th-th-think the elevator will accept my c-c-cr-cr-credentials if I'm with Pauline. One of you has to--" she sounds like she's turned around to address the group behind us.-"

"I can do it Alphys."

Papyrus walking forward a couple steps, bumping me slightly as he strides forward. [He's pressing his… hands… metacarpals…? to a panel, up against some… whoa are those creepy animated hands???]

{I don't know! why--}

The creaking of elevator doors, and Alphys leading me inside until we stand against one wall.

[Does the prospect of fiiiinally learning about determination fill you with determination?]

{That's redundant.}

[I know that's why I said it like that I thought you’d think it was funny.]

{Eh!}

[But does it?] Chara insists.

{Hell yeah.}

Probably… no: the most… solemn and agonizing elevator ride I've ever taken.

I start as our descent jolts to a stop, the doors dinging open. Alphys walks me forward out the elevator doors and forward a couple steps.

Loop one repetition of the song, not the whole video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jb8E8NQCErg

I immediately notice that the room seems… quiet.

Too quiet.

It smells like… like a library… or very very old classroom which has been in use for decades.

The stuffiness of stacks of papers and books, a tinge of metal, like my chemistry classrooms, and…

The tingling I experienced outside while waiting for Alphys… and the sensation of portaling Dewey to the balcony of the Skelebros' house… but all at once.

Enveloping my whole body and soul.

Something powerful is here.

Several somethings… which are powerful… are here.

{Now I get why this place is secret…} If I had said this aloud, it would have been in a squeak.

[This is like the setup for a horror movie waiting to happen…]

{Yep!}

A few more moments of… of heavy silence.

"Well," Alphys' voice seems to melt into the walls, making her seem so much quieter than she should. "Here we are."

A short walk through the True Lab, strange smells, more tingling sensations and… even stranger noises accompanying it. Eventually, Alphys stops walking, removing my hand from my arm and placing my palm on the back of a chair, indicating for me to sit. Everyone else follows suit.

"Okay." Alphys seems to be, reassuring herself. "I… I have a lot to tell you, all right? I'm going to start talking. And I'll stop every, ten minutes or so, to see if you get it.

"And when I stop, I want you to summarize what I've told you as best you can."

She says more gently, "And don't be afraid to be confused. This… this stuff is… I don't even know what to call it. And the way I've decided to tell you everything is… it's not in chronological order but… it's... it's the only way. The most fair way and... you guys?"

Her voice echoes slightly, as if she’s turned away from me.

Everyone else replies with a chorus of "Yes?"

"Don't be afraid to add on anything. I had you guys come down here for a reason, after all."

I sense Alphys' breath... no. A current of magic… fall across my face. "Just… try to follow me. Okay?"

From her seat across from me, Alphys presses her hands on top of mine.

"Yes." I tell her.

She takes a breath, and in the same voice she used when asking me about the Lab's accessibility technology, she begins to speak. It only takes me a few seconds to realize why despite her querks, Asgore hired her as the Royal Scientist.

"First: I need some clarification regarding your knowledge of the Barrier. You know by now that it requires seven human SOULs to break it." she asks without actually doing so.

"Yeah."

[Yeah!?] Chara repeats. [Alphys is like, giving you the lecture of a lifetime, and you just say "Yeah!?!?]

{What else am I supposed to say!?}

[At least...]

A mental huff. [I don't know she's being all formal! Be that way. She's telling you about her life's work! She's showing secret stuff to a human she basically doesn't even know. You...]

A frustrated sigh. [I don't know treat her Like a... I don't know. Like how she should be treated. With respect. She's basically part of the government.]

Chara's right.

{I'll, I'll try.}

"And that one human SOUL is essentially as powerful as every monster SOUL combined."

I'm about to say "Yeah," when instead, I say, "Yes. It said so on the Plaque."

{Chara?}

[I had to do it.]

"Well, when I was appointed Royal Scientist, I devoted the first several weeks of my tenure to thinking about our problem. At the end of that period, I reasoned that we had to find out why human SOULs were so powerful. Then maybe, just maybe, we could grant monsters that power.

"So I issued a directive to everyone in the Inertia Society: to gather and catalogue every scientific, or sufficiently-detailed publication, about humans they could find. Books about biology, anatomy, physiology, psychology, everything. Members even brought me religious… and… mystical texts." She adds on uncertainly.

"My thought process was that, if I could learn how humans perceived themselves, what they thought made them so strong, then maybe I could induce that behavior in monsters."

She seems… nostalgic. "Then my opportunity came. Well, more like some monsters told me my opportunity had come.

"One day, some Inertia Society members interrupted me in the middle of me skimming some psychology texts. They were urgent. They told me, 'Come upstairs! Now!' When I asked why, they rushed me to the elevator, to one of our multipurpose laboratories.

"When I got there, I saw there was a stretcher in the middle of the room. And on that stretcher was a human."

She sighs. "They were… no. He was… a lot smaller than I thought he'd be. Until that point I'd almost exclusively studied human adults.

"Over the next hour or so, I was debriefed by residents of the Ruins.

"He'd fallen down and had been trying to find the way out. He was only armed with a plastic knife, and had a light blue, woven ribbon around his left wrist.

"What intrigued me was what the residents told me about his fighting style. He never actually used the knife, instead trying to talk down anyone he encountered. He dodged some bullets, but ,most of the time, he'd just stand there, and… and light blue energy would appear around him as he talked. And monsters would get hurt if they tried to move around in it. So it's not like he didn't try defending himself at all."

"Like Papyrus' bones?" I recall.

"Yes." Alphys seems relieved. "Exactly.

"His abilities were sufficient to deal with single monsters but… they weren't enough. He was accosted by several of them at once and…"

Her voice breaks, and she stops for a moment. "He… he couldn't stop them. The risk of taking damage didn't scare them. And he didn't even try using his knife.

"After showing me the body, I wheeled it down here and used my newly-acquired knowledge to…"

She gulps. [She… looks like she's about to throw up. Or cry. Or both.]

"--to perform an autopsy. To, to dissect him. Magic had been used to preserve him so even soft tissues like the brain were completely in tact. Using our medical equipment and magic, I extracted the nervous and glandular tissues and other materials associated with sensory organs, as well as the spine and the brain. Essentially, I separated out these structures from the integumentary system, and nearly all muscle mass. Only some skeletal muscle, and the heart remained.

"I separated these different aspects of his body into separate, magic-enhanced containers. In the container housing the brain, I hooked up, several dozen? Maybe more… electrodes and sensors of all kinds. Some instruments were mundane, like EEGs and heart rate monitors, but others? Not so much. Since I knew he had used magic, I placed some ethergraph equipment around him as well."

Dewey's claws brushing my wrists. He leans in close to me from his position on the left side of the table, and in a quiet, flat voice, he says, "You… don't seem all that shocked by this. I would've thought you'd be sick to your stomach."

"Ehh." I reply in the same flat voice. "I mean, I dissected a cat in senior year of high school. One group in our class had a pregnant cat so I got to feel the fetuses so…"

[Everyone's… kinda grossed out now…]

"I mean this stuff isn't new to me. I read about horror films a lot and I got to touch a skeleton once 'cause there was one hanging in the corner of my physiology classroom so--"

A collective "WAAAAAIT WHAAAAT!?!?" from everyone.

"That," Sans contemplates from the right side of the table, "explains why you aren't thaaaat weirded out by me and Paps."

"Yeah…" I shift to the right slightly to face Sans, replying awkwardly.

I turn back to Alphys and ask, "But he was dead. Why were you collecting that data?"

"Well he wasn't exactly dead. Using a combination of electrical and magical stimuli, I… I essentially hooked him up to life support. I watched his readouts the rest of the day, and had someone move a bed and Dimensional Box down here so I could study him more closely."

[Alphys like, put her hand on her chin like the stereotypical smart person pose.]

"At the end of that first day, I was about to leave for the night, excited about what I'd done, eager to tell everyone but…

"But the EEG went wild. The center of the brain associated with planning, with self-restraint, with impulse-control, it lit up. Stress hormones were being released. When I walked back to check on the monitors, they went down again. I made sure the readings were genuine, and that my instruments were recording these occurrences, then I began to leave. For real.

"But the heart rate monitor went crazy. Even though he couldn't breathe, he was displaying the physiological signs of stress.

"I asked myself why this was happening… and at the sound of my voice, the EEG and other instruments calmed down. I asked the other scientists present for their input."

Alphys laughs lightly. "I didn't believe what they said. Not until I noticed that the human's physiological signs began reacting to what we were saying. Everyone told me… it was because he could hear me. He… knew I was leaving. And he… didn't like what I was doing. Rushing out of the room like that, I mean.

"I was about to ask him if this was true, then I realized: I hadn't extracted his vocal cords so he couldn't speak. So one of the scientists suggested something. And even to this day, I still can't believe it.

"’I'm gonna walk toward Alphys and hit her with three bullets, one at a time.

"'If you can really hear us, as I walk toward her the first time, turn the space around her blue. I will mark this space, a three-foot radius around her, with clear tape on the floor.’

"’I will then exit the three-foot radius around her and wait three seconds. Then, I will approach her again.’

“’If you really are worried about her, when I attack her the second time, you will turn the space around her blue again.’

"'And if you really are afraid of us leaving you alone tonight, repeat this process again when I attack her the third time.’

"'Understand?'"

I pause for a moment to take in this scientist's suggestion. {Wooooow thaaat's haaaarsh. I mean Alphys wasn't really gonna get hurt but… daaaaamn!}

"WHOAAAA DAAAAAMN!" Will and I exclaim. "NO WAY!"

"And you can guess what happened next: all three times, the three-foot radius around me turned blue, and the scientist was hurt when he tried walking toward me through the human's, new field of knowing.

"So we moved our most essential things down here. I put my bed in the room next door. And we ran some lights from his room to mine. I told him to make them blink if he needed anything."

"You, keep calling him ‘he’," Will points out what I'm about to say, sounding, unsettled. "What was his name yo?"

In a soft voice, Alphys whispers, "Simon.

"His name was Simon.

"He was ten, almost eleven years old. He was into handiwork and crafts. The ribbon was part of something he wanted to make. He'd been out on a walk, trying to think through his plan for the project the ribbon belonged to when… when he fell down…"

We sit in silence for a few moments. "Simon." Will and I repeat in hushed tones.

In the same, hushed whisper, Alphys continues.

"From then on the rest of my team and I would eat breakfast in Simon's room. We put electrodes on ourselves and light strips everywhere and told him to activate them if he wanted to talk to us or ask us things.

"We created a program which used Morse Code to translate the electrical and magical impulses he created and sent to certain electrodes and sensors into letters that could be shown on a monitor.

"We'd ask him questions about his life, before he fell down. He’d answer. And when he asked us where he was, we showed him pictures and videos of the entire Underground. And when he finally came around to asking about the technology keeping him alive, we told him everything. It took several days, but he sat through it, frankly, better than I would have.

"After a few weeks, when we surmised that Simon was comfortable around us, Dewey asked him a very important question: 'Why'd you use those light blue attacks? Why not fight back? You had the plastic knife with you.’

"Simon's answer chills me to this day. He said… wrote… answered. ‘I didn’t think hurting any of you on sight would solve my problem. I knew I had to wait for the perfect opportunity to escape any encounter. And I decided I'd wait as long as I'd have to. And I'd use anything I could to stall for time.’

"' But I wouldn't attack first. That'd be… wrong. I had to be, patient.’”

"So he showed all you guys mercy, even though he could have hurt you?" I summarize.

"Yeah. Kind of… kind of like what you've been trying to do. Don't get me wrong, he still hurt some monsters but…”

I laugh harshly. "Emphasis on 'try. And at least he didn’t go so far as to tell Asgore to fuck himself…”

Alphys continues, "We got to know Simon really well. We talked with him every day for… two-and-a-half years?

“We got to know everything about him. How everyone at school didn't understand why he liked sewing and working with cloth. How they teased him for being too quiet. He thought if... if he waited, it'd stop. But it never did. He thought if he took his time, if he made something cool, they'd be impressed. That they'd understand but... they never did.

We actually hooked up a sewing machine to his ethergraphy equipment so he could make us things. He'd been in the middle of making Dewey a Delta Rune vest when the second human fell down."

[Oh maaan Alphys is hyyyyped…?!]

{Whyyyy?}

"She was the complete opposite of Simon. Taylor went down fighting. And she managed to get to Snowdin. Not far, but she did. By this time, I put cameras outside so I could observe the humans myself.” 

"Heya Alph?"

"{Ahhh Jesus!}"!

"Forget I was here kid?"

[Sans is… amused…]

{How can you tell?}

[He's like, smiling differentlike…]

{Okay…?}

[Trust me there's a difference. It's small but... there is one. Oh and quote Xenoblade.]

{Whyyy?}

[Sans laughed.]

{Wait we’re seriously doing it.}

[What do you think?]

{Uh… "I'm really feeling it!"}!

"You're gonna skip right to the nitty-gritty science stuff and totally ignore that awesome abs bandana she wore?

Alphys… sits there, without answering…

“I’m guessin’ that’s a yes.

"Tailor was a feisty one. Tried punching me in the face when she first saw me. And turned her fists and the space around her orange too. Standin’ still when my SOUL was suspended in orange magic would hurt me so… yeah: I had to keep my distance to talk her down."

Sans sighs. “Her wrecklessness cost her. She killed a couple monsters but couldn't stand up to Doggo. It didn't help that he used Simon's light blue magic attack, so she hurt herself whenever she tried movin’ toward him."

"Whoa…"…" Will and I respond in shocked tones.

Alphys' turn to talk. "By this time we were prepared. A few weeks before Tailor fell down, I had Asgore issue an order to everyone in the Underground, that anyone who found a human dead would use magic to preserve them. And if they didn’t have the expertise for that, they’d call up Royal Guard and Inertia Society members to do it, and that they’d accompany them here. So I had the surgical equipment and containers ready."

Alphys laughs. "Ooooooh maaaaan she was reeeeeally angry when the partial revival process was done. She kept firing orange bullets at us. And it took Simon basically breaking down into tears--"

She backtracks, "--well we only knew this because the parts of the brain associated with sadness were activated so… yeah. It it didn't literally happen but… it took that, and Sans and Papyrus saying her bandana was awesome for her to calm down.”

"I mean you guys were right yo." Will says matter-of-factly. "It's a bandana with abs on it! That's like, awesome yo! Just thinking about it’s making me feel buff!"

"[Duuuude.]". Chara and I interject. "[It's making me feel like a wuss...]"

"But yeah: we had them stay together, and we set up more screens in front of their eyes... well their eyes and the related optical organs hooked up to some magitronics. So they could communicate. And we had to get extra electrodes 'cause Tailor would keep overstimulating them, seeing as her and Simon argued aaaaall the tiiiime."

"Actually,” Papyrus muses, "they remind me of how Sans and I interacted. Except with no awful puns."

"At least,"," even I know Dewey's smiling, "not at first. Simon made his first brain pun a month after Tailor arrived."

Dewey guffaws. "And ooooh maaaan she was basically screaming for hours after that."

"What was she like? ?" I ask curiously... and anxiously. "Was she like, a boxing fan or something?"

"Kind of. She said she liked marshal arts. She had belts in several of them. But she never lasted very long in any of her classes 'cause she'd pick fights. And her teachers… reeeeeeally didn't like her talking back."

Alphys hurriedly adds, "Don't get me wrong she was no jock and she wasn't stupid but... yeah: she was in to the ‘Don't think, feel’ thing.”

[Quote please?]

{Uh… "Yeah Shulk! Get stuck in!"}!

[Heh?]

{It's Reyn…}

[Oh.]

"She mellowed out though, when Paps started comin' down here. They'd yell at each other aaaaall day."

"And she even kept it up when the third human fell down. And Steven didn't actually mind. He yelled a lot too!” Papyrus moves on to the next topic in the only way he knows how.

The Inertia Society members chuckle.

"What was he like yo?" Will steals my question out of my mouth.

"He could use dark blue magic. Well we call it blue magic. And everyone differentiates between itth and Simon's magic via context, but…, yeah. He looooved to dance. I saw ‘im dance a bit to avoid Papyrus' attacks. Or even if that wasn’t really dancin’, he definitely had a sense of rhythm which helped ‘im a ton."

[A skele-ton?]

I can’t help but laugh aloud.

“You missed the opportunity for a pun,” dewey points out in loo of Chara.

“Oh: I didn’t. Pauline’s already laughin’.”

"Frankly," Sans stacks his hands on top of Alphys and mine as he continues talking, "it was pretty damn stylish. And it worked. He dodged my bro's attacks, and even knocked him over with it once. Even redirected some bones.”

In a more sober tone, Sans admits, "But it didn't last long. He… didn't make it too far into Waterfall. Some Woshua killed 'im and got Undyne to bring 'im here.”

In a lighter tone, he adds on, "When he got revived the three of them started arguin' a lot. But it wasn't all bad. They couldn't agree on how to act like around us. Steven said he'd stick by the life lessons his dance and gymnastic coaches taught 'im, no matter what. And as for Tailor?"

Sans laughs. {"Feel the flow of battle!"}

"She said she get in there and do what her heart told her was right. So in a way, her and Steven could agree on some things."

"That," Papyrus' voice seems on the verge of a gneh heh heh, "and that his magic was the coolest. He could move things around the room for us. And fill out paper forms himself."

"And he'd ask us to have the TV or radio on in here," Alphys recalls fondly. "He'd move stuff to the beat."

They continue like this, everyone telling stories about each of the remaining humans.

David,: the green attack and green soul alteration user, was the chef, and Papyrus’ protégé. He tried to get Simon and Steven to cooperate to help him cook in that room. He was the one who saw the good in every monster he met, and he tried to demonstrate to them that he wouldn't stop being kind to them, no matter what. Even if it meant healing those who were hurt, or shielding the steadily-growing group who accompanied him through Waterfall and defended him until he reached Undyne.

"Undyne respected him a lot." Alphys muses. "I think he had the biggest influence on her, out of all of them. She saw a strength of character in him which she could relate to, even if he didn’t really fight back. She even came to us so he could teach her his shielding techniques. He inspired her to use that soul alteration in the way she does actually."

Next comes Adam, who everyone agrees is the smartest of the six overall. The Skelebros and Dewey talk over each other in the process of telling stories about his intellect. How he took notes on the monsters he met. How he stayed with the Skelebros to practice his magic. How he copied down passages from the Snowdin Librarby to take with him. How he thought Undyne's spears exploding against the rocks in Waterfall was awesome. How he'd always say "I reject your reality, and substitute my own," when talking to the scientists.

How he said he did what he did because he knew he had to persevere, no matter the circumstances. That he had to be open to thinking of some Mcgyver-style plan at any moment to escape danger. How he had fallen down while talking with his friends about what they'd do if a zombie apocalypse happened…

"Duuude Sans like, is this why you're into that?" I ask him when he eventually gets around to it.

"Yeh. And he got Paps into Portal."

"Sweeeet!" I can't help but feel hyped. "That explains a lot…"

"Then there's kari." Alphys says fondly.

All the Inertia Society members burst out laughing. "She was fun!" Papyrus shouts. "She showed us how to fire guns and stuff!"

"Wait whaaat the shit!?"

"Yes! She had some… airsoft guns with her when she fell. She was out with some cousins at a makeshift shooting range they made, with boards with pictures of people they hated on them for targets!"

"Duuuude. Sounds pretty sweet." I blurt out.

"But," Dewey interjects, "how would you even shoot a gun?"

"There are places in the U.S. where blind people can own guns under the Second Amendment."

"Huh."

Sans… doesn't seem surprised, somehow. "Makes sense. I mean, if someone insists blind people can't own guns they’re denying them their right to bear arms."

"And to short-sleeved shirts." Dewey pipes up… and we all cringe-laugh.

"She was always saying she wished she had the power to get us free," Papyrus praises. "'For great justice!' As she'd say it. That, and 'When'When in doubt? C4.’”

"Yeh." Sans and I acknowledge the reference. "Wow all the Mythbusters fans fell down though!"

"Yeah. That made things… pretty fun around here," Alphys sighs happily. "But it got even better when Kari's one-year anniversary of falling down came around. Everyone cleared their schedules to come down here and hang out. By this time we'd built software to recreate their voices, mediated via their brains and magitry, of course. And over some cake Steven, Adam, and David made, we were talking about their experiences down here."

[Alphys is like, really thoughtful right now.]

"And well… something really important happened that day. The Inertia Society members who hadn't been down here were asking about everyone's motives. Their plans of action. Praising how even though they had different ways of solving their problems and interacting with monsters, they'd found a way through as many situations as they could."

[She's looking at Sans.]

{Whyyy?}

"Well. I was just thinkin' over their responses. How they were driven to do the things they did. How they'd had the strength to stick to their guns till the end.”

 

Admiration and respect.

{Wow… these guys must’ve been really damn cool and good and smart if Sans respects them. And only one of them was anywhere close to finishing middle school…}

“How Tailor kept fighting, even with a nearly-severed hand. How Adam had used his magic to keep himself standing, even as he got more and more tired and bled out.”

Sans’ voice seeming muffled, as if he’s looking down. "I… didn’t really think it through. It just… came to me. Like those, flashes of inspiration. Like Archimedes runnin’ through Syracuse naked—“

“Waaaaaaait whaaat!? No no no no no!” Will interrupts. “nope nope nope nope.”

Dewey and Sans snicker all… immaturelike… “Oh come on Will,” Dewey joking with him, rather than just sounding like a college professor… “It’s true. At least, everyone thinks it is.”

“Yeah.” I verify.

“Uh… Sans?” Alphys asks in a small voice. “Can you just… get to the point?”

“Of course.”

[Sans looked up again.]

“I said to them… 'You guys must've been pretty damn determined to do all this. huh?'"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The gloriousness is coming.
> 
> Slowly, we're getting there.


	27. Chapter 27

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> See the end notes for citations to the web sites I used... and an explanation for its... finer points. Read them only if you're sufficiently confused. If not, ignore them.
> 
> Also horray for medical ethics, me being unapologetic, and double standards!

27

"WHAAAAAT!!"

[That's it!? Just whaaaat?]

{I mean what else do you think I should say? It's soooo deeep!}

[Yeah...] Chara... haltingly admits. [Truuuue.] But seriously you don’t even… stop to think “waaaaaaait Saaaans named the thiiing whaaaaat!?”]

"On one hand,” Dewey’s, college professor tendencies, seem to be the only reason he seems calm, "I'm not surprised by this reaction.”

"Kinda reminds me of a crappy Vine montage. Just cut together some screenshots that don’t even begin to describe what you’re reactin’ to and--"

"[SAAAAANS!]"

"Human! You're finally learning to interject in the same manner as I, Papyrus Wingdings Gaster! I'm proud of you!"

"{[Yeh!]}" I affirm.

"On the other hand," Dewey... somehow manages to continue, "I'd think you would have sat there and..."

[He's ringing his hands.]

"—and I don't know, mulled over it...? Or is everything so… uniformly weird around here you’ve just given up?"

A verbal shrug. "Yeah… Kinda… Sans told me he named the thing just before we saved you so... yeah: I knew already."

"Hmmm."

[Alphys is like, smart dude-posing again.]

"Well, I guess this makes my job a lot easier then. It’s probably best I ask this now, just so we’re on the same page. What else do you know about determination?"

I say with no hesitation, "That you can come back to life with it."

"Exactly.”

[She’s, just a bit surprised.]

And do you know why determination allows its user to do this?"

"It's 'cause..." I recall back to Chara and I discussing determination... back in the Ruins.

"It's 'cause no one wants to die." I say in a small voice.

"Mm-hmmm. And I saw... you used determination to do more than just save, so… you figured that out too."

After a moment of confusion… and paranoia, I remember Alphys’ cameras. "Oh yeah: you did didn't you?"

[I forgot about the cameras too… so…]

"At the ball in Snowdin." I continue to recall.

"Each of the six forms of magic we knew about before we discovered determination was driven by a certain… motivation. A certain way of life. You must have noticed, Simon Tailor and the rest of them had differing reasons for interacting with monsters the way they did, but overall, they all wanted to carry through that plan of action, no matter the circumstances. Essentially, determination is... the discipline of magic driven by the will to live. It’s the most,”

Alphys stops, unsure of the right term. “primal.” She eventually settles on. “And because of humans’, evolutionary history, it’s coded into them, to use it, under the right conditions. It’s… more than magic already is… the resolve to change fate. You could say it’s the discipline of magic shaped around doing the impossible.

“It was interesting, seeing the six humans use magic like that. 'Cause they hadn't had a day of training in their lives! After questioning them about their lives on the surface, I saw no, incidents, of magic use before they fell down. No, what you call, paranormal or psychic, experiences either. Nothing.

"So I hypothesized that determination eased their use of their inherent magic. And that their exposure to the latent magic in the Underground, brought out, that determination."

"So if you got the determination and gave it to monsters, it should be the same right?"

"Yeah! Obviously us monsters use magic naturally, but yes. Determination would ease the process for casting magic, and increase its effectiveness beyond its limits. So what I did was I took measurements while they performed magic and saw something... interesting. When hooked up to ethergraphy equipment, we noticed their production of certain hormones increased. These increases did not occur in their resting states.

"But that wasn't good enough. If determination was activated by magic, we needed to completely remove all magic from their rooms. Or rather, control the magic flow so we’d know when something out of the ordinary had happened."

A short chuckle. "It's ironic but... we used magic to isolate magic. We moved all the measuring equipment outside their rooms, and powered them using conventional electricity—“

“Wait conventional electricity?” I repeat. “What you guys have superconductors or something?”

“I think so, from what I’ve learned in class yo.”

{[Will being insightful thoooough…?]}

“I… don’t actually know whether this is true but, it seems like it.”

[He’s like, turned toward Alphys--]

“’Cause you would have had to control for the density differences in the walls compared to the outside right?”

[Dewey’s… I don’t even know how to describe what he’s doing…]

Chara… awkwardly trailing off… has to mean whatever’s happening is… weird…

“Calm dooooown Pauline hasn’t learned the thiiiings yeeeet!”

Will laughing in delight. “Sorry. I just, my parents were soooo happy when they found out I was learning Magitry yo!”

“That’s the spirit!” Will yelps as… Papyrus… {What happened?}

[He like, thumped Will on the back a liiiiittle tooooo hard…]

“In any case,” Alphys continues, “it took a while, but we found derivatives of light blue and green magic which prevented any magic from entering or leaving the room. If other magic was cast in that room, our derivatives would activate our sensors. And most importantly of all, anyone who interacted with the humans in that room was told to restrict their fields of knowing to their corporial bodies, so their souls wouldn’t set off the detectors by accident. For all intents and purposes, these monsters would be invisible to those particular instruments.

“We had them sit at rest, and then perform various tasks, magic-related or otherwise, comparing their physiological parameters and composition of their fields of knowing. We compared their active ethographs to those of monsters with the same cemented form of magic and... they were similar, for the most part. Except... their fields of knowing didn't seem to stay exclusively in the room.

"During the experiments, sometimes when we asked Steven to move things, or Kari to shoot things, objects outside the testing space would move or get hit. Mind you, they knew we were there, but not what the monitoring room looked like, so under the Dual Awareness Principle of soulology, they--"

"{[Wait heh?]}” is our… unprofessional but completely justified response.

"The Dual Awareness Principle," Dewey explains without missing a beat, "basically means when given a magic user and their field of knowing, and object A, placed in their field of knowing, they can manipulate it, even if they can’t see it. As long as they know enough about it, their field of knowing applies to it. The “dual” in the name refers to being aware of the workings of the object or system in question, and knowing that object or system is in their field of knowing in the first place.

“Monsters improve their precision in using their magic both by learning to cast it on smaller and smaller objects, projecting their soul over larger and larger distances without tiring, and thus, affecting a larger sphere of influence—“

“Heh heh heh—“

“SAAAAANS!”

“Thank you Papyrus.”

Dewey huffs. “Just ‘cause fields of knowing are traditionally drawn as spheres doesn’t mean they’re puns!”

“Of course not…”

[Man he’s annoyed…?]

“Anyway… they also learn more about the objects they’ll be manipulating on a daily basis, so they can apply that knowledge to the two aforementioned exercises. I know you’ve heard the phrase ‘Magic is a matter of degrees.’ This is what that refers to. The more you know about an object or phenomenon, the more you can manipulate it with your cemented forms of magic.”

Will startles me by pointing out, “So that’s why sneaking up on my friends doesn’t work yo! 'Cause they know what they walked past. So when I try walking behind them, they notice the change.”

“And--" I turn to Sans, "that's how your shortcuts work."

Clapping from everyone. "Yeh. Exactly. I helped Alph with those experiments. We kept increasing the size of the testing area, and changin' how far away the monitoring equipment was, anticipating we’d hit their limit, given time. But they kept pushin' tables or making holes in the walls.

"So to test how determination affected the kids' fields of knowing, we did a double-blind test.”

[Quote Xenoblade]

{Uh… “This is the Monado’s power!”}

“And Dewey before you rant about it, I’m not sayin’ this just ‘cause she’s—“

“I wasn’t gonna—“

“Of course not…”

“[Whauw whauw whaaauw.]”

“Well it was more than just double-blind. If that’s possible. We randomly assigned scientists and subjects to each other, and made 'em communicate through text, so they couldn't tell who they were talkin' to. The scientists were sent off throughout the Underground in enclosed trailers: no windows, soundproof, so they didn't even know where they were talkin' to 'em from. And even if their trailer was just outside the Lab, we moved them to make sure they couldn’t deduce their location via how far they’d moved.

"After crunchin' the numbers, we saw: we were right. To a point. Determination gives the user a much larger field of knowing, and ignores the Dual Awareness Principle entirely. But it did so much more. The hormone they produced when castin’ magic in our earlier experiments, its presence set off our magic derivatives."

Alphys repositions her hands so they are underneath mine. "I'm not the right person to explain this but, after they performed magic, we'd ask them about the, triggering event or desire they drew upon to focus their magic. No one... had a solid answer. They just wanted it. Really, really badly. But Adam and Steven, they said they remembered how casting magic felt when they fought Papyrus and Muphet, and tried to invoke that desire to live. So this, unformed desire, was what determination was. And that desire manifested as one of the other six forms of magic we were familiar with."

"But," I ask, "what about that hormone? Is that… is that where the determination came from?"

"In a way. It's called DMT. I'd give you the real name but--"

"I mean, I learned some chem in high school."

"Its formula is C12H16N2. I don't think I need to tell you what it looks like--"

"Ugh…"

"Yeah..."

She laughs. "I'd imagine learning chemical structures would have been... painful... for you. But what matters is that DMT, when administered, causes rises in blood pressure and heart rate. Normally it also causes the production of several other hormones to increase too. Like endorphins, which inhibit pain. It's also thought that DMT helps with anti-inflammitory responses and tissue regeneration.

"So basically, magic exposure produced the effects we anticipated by amplifying DMT’s preexisting effects. And harnessing the inherent magic in their souls gave them control over their bodies otherwise denied them, thus, allowing them to increase their own DMT production on command. When combined with DMT's new properties, they cast magic without training and exhibited the… powers… we associated with bringing humans back from death and functioning when it otherwise would have been impossible. Increased healing capabilities, pain inhibition, reallocating their bodies’ resources to muscle activity and away from then nonessential functions like digestion."

“[Heh?]”

{Wait wait the fuck I wasn’t confused.

[Well too bad I am!]

{When DMT was exposed to magic, it did all the things they thought would have to happen for a human to cheat death. This includes making them cast magic I guess. Then, they call magic-exposed DMT determination, I think… I mean, DMT is a pretty convenient abbreviation…}

[Well he could have just said that!]

Chara huffs. [Ugh… well I guess I should have known he’d do this. You are the first human who could understand this stuff on their own after all… and that’s a pretty damn good reason for him to be hyped so…]

"And," Dewey sounds slightly louder, as if he's leaned in closer to me, "this may not be all that relevant right now but, DMT has been associated with altered states of consciousness too. It's used in religious ceremonies, mixed with compounds which allow humans to process it. They—you--need that since humans have chemicals in their digestive systems which break it down so you guys don't get high on the stuff. Accessing the magic within their souls may have caused the visual and auditory hallucinations experienced by users in laboratory conditions.

"But how would monsters even take it yo?"

"Dude Will I was gonna ask that!"

"'Cause like, we don't have guts and stuff. Not really. Not even Sans and Papyrus do and they’re skeletons so you’d think--" Will continues.

"Waaaait whaaat!"

"You must remember!" Papyrus hand clamps down on my head, "We lack all your squishy insides! So that is why we can't be zombified, because we have no brains to rework to adopt zombie habits!"

"Oooooh yeah...”

"But but but but wait!" I suddenly realize. "How… how... do you guys eat then…?"

"If any of you suggests doing a repeat of the ketchup," Papyrus begins to allude.

"[Nope nope nope nope nope…]” everyone else follows my example.

Meaning everyone except Sans…

[SAAAAAANS!]

"Exactly. Just know that monster food is almost entirely magic, and that digestion is an automatic process where they envelop that food into their field of knowing."

{Whoa Paps sounding sciency thoooough!}

Alphys can't hold back her joy. "I mean it is a legitimate question. Because not all conventional medication administration techniques would work on monsters. We did eventually figure out that injection was most reliable though. Because if we used topical administration we couldn't be sure of exactly how much medication had been absorbed.”

“That,” Sans… is trying to suppress a laugh, “and not all monsters have skin compatible with topical application.”

Alphys rushes over him, “But that came later.

“What mattered was that we found it! We finally figured out how they could perform magic so well without training! So we exposed them to green magic to increase their natural DMT production. And we siphoned it from them. But mostly from Steven, Adam and Kari. It seemed like the stronger the magic humans are exposed to, the more DMT they produce. And the more readily they produce it when casting magic."

"So... what did you do with this stuff?"

"My team and I, we realized that we couldn't perform the usual trials associated with human medicines. We had no animal test subjects. Actually, animal life as it is on the surface is exceedingly rare here. So... instead we..."

Alphys gulps, her voice beginning to shake. "We recruited monsters to be administered determination. Using hospital registrars, we randomly selected subjects who had... fallen down. At a certain time each day during the recruitment process, we brought them here. While on life support, in addition to magic-infused liquids, we injected determination into them based on their mass, using our preexisting protocols for prescribing medication to monsters. Several times a day, we'd measure their HP, AT, DF, and SPE--"

"Wait whaaaat!?"

"Come now human! You're not deaf yet!" Papyrus interjects. "You heard her loud and clear! We use RPG mechanics to measure monsters' psychophysiological states!”

I stammer, “But but but whyyy!”

{What’s next!? Do they use Pokémon battles to settle disputes?}

[Pokémon don’t exist down here--]

{That’s not my point!}

“You know by now! Mental and physical health is one in the same for us!"

More sheepishly, he adds, “And well, because we lack your squishy insides, and everyone besides Sans and I lack your bones, your metrics for determining health are utterly useless!”

"Oh yeah... Using HP and stuff… makes more sense now… I guess…”

{I don’t feel like an idiot at all…}

The… sensation of someone’s hand on my cheek. I know that it’s not real but… Chara being… affectionate like this… isn’t normal. Gently, they say, [It’s okay. I thought it was weird too, at first. It still is, actually. To reduce all these things, to, say exactly how healthy or powerful you are, based on a couple numbers.]

“'cause like, your guys' stats go down when you're scared and go up when you're happy." I remember from my first meeting with Dewey.

"EXACTLY!"

"{[Jesus!]}"

"Paps. You've made your point. By Tesla caaaaaalm doooooown."

[Woooow even Sans didn’t expect that!]

He explains, "It's not perfect, but HP’s the most readily-measurable indicator of a monster's overall health. Like a human's heart rate, blood pressure, concentrations of certain elements in their body, and level of mental acuteness, all in one. Obviously for humans you can have too much of a good thing but, that's not the case for monsters.”

Alphys continues, “Among other theories, we expected that if determination really did catalyze magic, then monsters could perform the magic necessary to heal themselves more easily, and in the process, regenerate the magic surrounding their souls. Even if they were not cemented in green magic. And we couldn't perform the same separation as we did on the six humans because removing the soul would destroy the magical and physical shell containing it. So we had to contend with the safety of the subjects' souls from the beginning.

"And... while we were at it, we tried to find a vessel to store all the six, well, hopefully soon, seven, human souls. Monsters can't absorb monster souls, and humans can't absorb human souls. At least, that's what our current theories suggest. 

"So, we listed out objects we could inject with determination. We had several candidates in mind but... we chose one with sentimental value."

the Inertia Society members abruptly whisper in unison: "That first golden flower. The flower that grew before all the others."

Dewey picks up where his daughter left off. "We, wanted to surprise Asgore with the vessel, at the same time as the results of the determination experiment."

{Oh God oh God oh God you can't be serious fuuuuuuck!}

[Uh… she is...] Chara has no need to clarify.

{Alphys created the fucking flower!!!!}

Tense silence.

"So, did it work yo? Did the subjects come back to life?"

“Oh no.”

{Chaaaraaaa?}

[Alphys', dewey's, everyone's faces...]

{What is it!?}

Chara freaking out... is bad. Very bad.

"It didn't work, didn't it?" I hope I'm wrong but...

"No. Not at all."

Alphys seems on the verge of tears. "I mean, the subjects did wake up. I remember it clear as day. I was talking to Adam about our study, how everything was failing. How the monsters' families kept wanting to know what was going on. So they could... so they could prepare for their loved ones’ funerals. But...

"Dewey screamed so loud I thought he'd shatter all the monitors. I ran inside and saw... one Snowdrake had woken up. She was responding to questions. She even, got up and walked around.

"And over the next day or so, the rest of the monsters did the same! They just... woke up. Like nothing happened. Even our experiments on the flowers were a success. We eventually succeeded in giving one the will to live. I followed through with Asgore’s request to give him the six souls, and sent him the vessel along with them. I told the families everyone was alive, and that I'd have them home within the next couple days."

She breaks down into tears in earnest. Ugly sobs, tears falling onto my hands, my HP draining a little with every drop that falls. She’s… crying magic. "But it... it went wrong. All wrong! The monsters were fine for a little while but... all you need to know was about three days after the last opened their eyes, we heard screaming. And when we came in we..."

[Alphys looks like she's either about to faint or throw up.]

"Even after we'd administered determination in the doses clinically accurate to each subject, it had been too much. In that moment, we saw... why humans had systems designed to break it down, even though they’re much more, physical, than us. If they can get high off it then... well… you should be able to imagine what it did to those monsters. Our bodies can't handle determination in any appreciable amount because virtually all of us lack the physical matter needed to circulate it, let alone the compounds necessary to break it down. If they're exposed to too much they... melt..."

Disgusted noises… from Chara and I…

{I feel like I'm gonna puke.}

[Same!]

"All those weird noises I heard on the way over here..." I put out there, hoping I'm wrong.

"Yeah." Alphys squeaks. "You heard the amalgamates. They're, just on the cusp of death, but can't move on because the determination prevents them from doing so."

I gasp softly.

[She's, put her head down on the table.]

"I c-c-c-couldn't, can't, believe I s-s-s-s-screwed up like that." she sobs into the tabletop. "I... I'm a horrible p-p-p-p-person. I know it already you d-d-d-don't have to say it. I... I kn-kn-kn-know you hate me. So many m-m-m-monsters already do. Lots of Inertia S-S-S-S-Society members left after t-t-t-they found out. I do the 3D-printing stuff because I d-d-d-don't need to work with anyone. In f-f-f-fact, I don't really interact with the rest of th-th-th-ththem anymore. I h-h-hadn't talked in person to D-D-D-Dewey until you came here. And I... I hadn't t-t-t-talked to Sans and Papyrus until now either."

"So you're telling me you did human--monster experimentation and didn't even tell the families about it? And you won't even try finding a way to fix them? Or at least, put them out of their misery?"

{I hate that I suggested--}

Again, I have to remind myself Chara is… ten-ish? Years old. [You shouldn’t. It’s… it’s pretty fucked up, what they have to live through. If they can’t be fixed, killing them with dignity is all anyone can do.[

In a more contemplative tone, Chara muses, [Actually, doing that would be good. ‘Cause the, amalgamates, probably want that. Well they probably want to come back to their families but if that can’t happen then…]

"No.” is Alphys’ ashamed reply into the table. “I... I didn't want everyone to hate me. I thought if I hid it... everyone would just... forget. Have you… ever avoided telling the truth about something, just so you don’t have to be punished… even as it eats you up inside? Even while you know that telling the truth will… make the pain from that lie end? That… you deserve what you get, even while you hate it?"

A few seconds of Alphys sniffling, which eventually quiet down.

{I can’t fucking believe this. She trying to fucking say that our experiences are the same? Fuck no! I never did anything so fucked up!}

[Well you better.]

{But Alphys… Dewey… they’re--}

[So nice?] Chara finishes.

A… not so scary laugh… but just… a harsh one. Chara shouldn’t sound like this. [I mean, it’s like Papyrus right? They’re nice, but that doesn’t mean they do nice things all the time. And come on: it doesn’t matter you haven’t done as fucked-up things. You did fucked-up things too.]

{I fucking hate this…}

[Uh… I think that’s the point.]

{You think I don’t fucking know that already!?}

[I know! Just, if you didn’t I think everyone’d be really… worried? Concerned? I don’t know you know what I mean!]

"I…”

An exasperated sigh. A… defeated sigh. “Yeah… I’d… lie to my parents and… yeah… I guess you’re right. I’d feel like that. I’d… play Pokémon or Smash in the middle of the night and not tell them. And I’d get caught and say Iwas sorry but not really ‘cause all I wanted to do was play it without anyone telling me what to do. ‘Cause… I don’t know they didn’t understand. They never did. I… I wouldn’t be surprised if they saw all video games as GTA clones… I know it’s not the same but… I don’t know…

“And one time I bombed my eighth grade science class, the fall trimester. And I was in the Junior National Honor Society, so I couldn’t have any more than one B for all my classes… so yeah… I didn’t tell my mom until the spring trimester… and… yeah… she got really mad… but she said some really horrible things during it so even though I knew I deserved it I was still mad at her and wanted it to all stop so it basically negated any effect my punishment would have had…”

I trail off, unsure of where to go from here.

"Human?"

"Papyrus?"

[Oh God Paps looks like he's about to cry no no no no nooooo not agaaaaain!]

"May I point something out to you?"

I don't answer.

"I know you're, in shock, right now. And disgusted. And wondering why we even consented to telling you this. And, from the sound of it, recalling some, unpleasant, memories.

"It's just that..."

Papyrus sighs. "I know this will sound like a... like a cop out but..."

An on-edge gneh heh heh. "You humans have done much worse. MK Ultra. Unit 731, the Japanese soldiers, who, ‘experimented,’ on war prisoners. The Tuskegee experiment. All of them involved varying degrees of unwilling human experimentation. And when not that, unethical behaviors besides. We did all we could to treat the subjects well while they were here. And it's not like we starved them or harmed them on purpose or gave them drugs which we knew were harmful."

Just as Alphys stops crying, Papyrus breaks into sobs… and Chara starts screaming. [No no no no no nooooo!]

"I actually requested that Alphys tell the amalgamates about you. Your reason for staying with us. That she'd tell you about their... condition. That they should... stay away from you. Because, I anticipated you'd be angry. And wouldn't be able to respond properly. You’d… hurt them unnecessarily. If it weren't for that they'd be wandering around more freely right now."

I sigh. "I guess. We... we've done some pretty shitty things. And like, you guys did the best with what you had. It's not like you were trying to be assholes like the guys who did the Tuskegee experiment. They infected those black dudes with syphilis and intentionally didn't cure them and just stood there and watched them get infected and die. And yeah… MK Ultra wasn’t much better."

Dewey's sigh, barely audible over Papyrus' crying. "I just knew that this study would garner ire and hatred and disgust from any human who found out about it. We knew anyone who found out would be appalled. That, they wouldn't understand how desperate we were. That, us comparing our efforts to breaking the berrier to MK Ultra and the United States' attempts to best the USSR via research into psychic powers, by giving, ‘volunteers’, LSD to see what would happen, would go completely over everyone's heads.

“We knew you'd be angry.”

[He shrugged.]

“Well… a little more than that.” He corrects himself. “But... we thought you had the right to know. And besides: you're the oldest human who's fallen down. We guessed you'd have enough experience with human history to grasp the implications of what we'd done. How any human who found out would brand us as... as war criminals. As... monsters. Complete monsters."

I sigh again. "I guess. But still: why would you tell me all this if you knew I'd hate you after it?"

"'Cause we had another crazy idea."

"[Sans?]"

"'Cause when I told Alph about you, she remembered a crazy idea we had, a long time ago. It was, actually the reason Gaster hired her. He’d been theorizing on determination's existence when he... when he died. I carried on that research afterward, concurrent to Alphys’ study. I only knew about it ‘cause I talked to the kids a lot. To… gather evidence. To… bounce ideas off them. I’d been allotted resources for my work so… I didn’t know about the amalgamates till a while after."

"So you want me to help you with this crazy idea, even though I basically have no incentive to?"

"Yeh." Sans says bluntly. "Well, you don't exactly have no incentive. Let's just say... this idea would allow us to break the Barrier without takin’ your soul. But to make it happen we need determination. That, and only now is there sufficient human research. ‘Cause even though we knew what we needed to do, you guys hadn’t researched the right fields of study yet. So we couldn’t conduct the experiments involved with enough precision."

Alphys' voice doesn't seem muffled anymore. "And, if nothing else, if you must fight Asgore, if you help us, we'll have the expertise necessary to... help you get through that alive.”

She seems a little more composed. “And if we do this, you'll be able to learn everything you ever wanted to know about us. From the source."

I'm intrigued. "What is it?"

Alphys sighs. Though what she next says is, unbearably sad, her voice remains firm enough. If I hadn’t been there to hear it, I wouldn’t have known she had been crying only a couple minutes earlier. The... professionalism... I glimpsed when I first arrived shines through.

"You know, what's been happening over the past few weeks? It's, gotten me to think about things I haven't had a chance to think about for a long time.

“If it weren't for you and Papyrus I..."

It sounds like she's turned her head to the side, so she's talking to herself more than to me. "Only recently did I realize how lucky we were, that Papyrus did what he did. Because... I realized..."

Her voice becomes even softer. "There have been days where I can't remember what he looked like. What he sounded like.

"It wouldn't have surprised me if... if Papyrus had taken any longer, I wouldn’t have remembered all those years I knew him, even before he hired me. I would have forgotten... how he and my father were close, close friends. Brothers, even.

"Given a few more months, no.”

[She shook her head.]

“Weeks. I know, I would have forgotten he existed at all. Despite all he has done for us. Despite him giving us monsters electricity! Computers! CAD&CAD! A standard of living which rivals many postindustrial nations on the surface. Even after all that I... I... I still would have forgotten about him."

Dewey, Papyrus, and Sans quietly reply with "Yeahs." of their own. I... I feel their sadness roll off them in waves.

Even Chara's... a bit teary.

I don't know what else to ask except "It's Gaster, isn't it?"

A long, tense silence.

I assume Alphys has given up, that she will not tell me, because it's too painful. At least until she next speaks. Her voice no longer echoes against one wall, so she has likely decided to turn toward me again.

In place of her sadness is... awe. Admiration. Respect... and after a couple words I am... very confused.

"Aristotle. Archimedes. Thomas Aquinas. Leonardo da Vinci. Sir Isaac Newton. Nicola Tesla. Albert Einstein. Stephen Hawking. Neil deGrasse Tyson. Adam Savage."

"{[Eh more Mythbusters thooooough!!]}"

"Do you know what all of them have in common?"

"They were all... science dudes? Well except Aristotle he did a little of everything. Same for Leonardo. And Thomas Aquinas was a... a... religion...? dude...?"

"Yes. Exactly."

Excitement pours off Alphys. She begins talking faster. "Monsters have compared him to all these people! There are probably even more humans he could be compared to, if we had the time."

Her voice returns to its previous, hushed tone. "You've actually heard a lot about him from... well everyone. But no one's really bothered explaining it all. He only, created, a full name for himself... oh, when was it? The human 1990s? He named himself after a then-new human font he enjoyed."

"Wingdings?" I repeat uncertainly.

She laughs, a light, delighted laugh. "Yeah! He started using it on everything! Even his scientific papers."

“Uh...”

{What?}

Alphys suddenly seizes my hands in hers. Her breath... if monsters are made of magic, do they need to breathe?

A whisp of magic brushes my face...

With pride, she states: "I just want to make this clear. All this time, we have been referring to Dr. Wingdings Gaster. Or as we call him, the proper Royal Scientist. Or as, basically everyone, calls him, the most brilliant mind in all monsterkind.

“And I know this seems like an exaggeration but, I know it's true. I've never been so sure of something in my entire life! It’s something that... even the Dreemurrites can agree on."

“{Daaaaaamn!}”

"So I'm gonna help you with Gaster's research?"

"More than that." Sans pries Alphys' hands off of mine, sandwiching his between ours. "At the least, we're gonna help you get home.”

“And if we're lucky, we'll break the Barrier!” Papyrus... adds his hands to the stack... at least I think, ‘cause Chara grumbles [Jesus Paps your hands are heavy at least squish your hands between ours and Sans’ so we know you’re there!]

“But to do this, you have to help us. We told ya all this so you'd know what you'd be gettin' in to."

"Which is...?"

With conviction... and as he adds his hands to the stack, making Chara complain a little more, Dewey says: "With you acting as our first untapped source of pure determination, you'll help us acquire the knowledge we require. Or rather, you’ll help us regain what we have lost.”

A... nudging... at my side. “I’m with you guys all the way yo! I’d put my hands up there but... Pauline seriously you look uncomfortable dude...”

Will grasps my shoulders instead.

Tingling runs through my hands... arms... my entire body.

It’s... that thing, from Papyrus back at Grillby’s, but this time, Sans is doing it...

Kind of.

He’s... channeling power, but his voice isn’t exactly the same as when Papyrus did it.

He still sounds... dignified... but his voice is completely his own.

“By coupling your determination with our CAD&CAD interfaces and Will’s Dewey’s, Alphys’, Papyrus’s, and my memories, you shall aide us in recreating Gaster’s body. And, by amplifying our inherent healing capabilities, and channeling determination’s triggering event: the will to live, you shall aide us in reconstructing his soul.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This won't be the first time I'll be putting chapter explanations in the endnnotes.
> 
> DMT's a real hormone, and its physiological effects are real, if not insufficiently studied...
> 
> When the six humans fell, and were exposed to magic, it changed. Only then did it acquire logic-defying properties. From now on, DMT will be called determination.
> 
> Humans' determination production is effected by the duration of their survival in the Underground and the strength of the monsters they encounter.
> 
> It is produced when humans cast magic, and when they focus it around the desire to live. The other forms of magic require focus around similar concepts, like bravery or patience.
> 
> Therefore, the six humans cast the other six forms of magic without training.
> 
> The Dual Awareness Principle is as such.
> 
> Given:
> 
> 1\. A magic user's field of knowing of a finite volume,
> 
> and
> 
> 2\. object A, which they're familiar with,
> 
> they can move it/damage it, even if they can't see it. It just needs to be in their field of knowing.
> 
> Visualize a magic user's field of knowing as a hollow sphere, them at the center. As they learn about objects or phenomenon, the sphere is filled in, and they can manipulate them if they ever enter it. It's normally restricted to their immediate surroundings, or the confines of a room, if indoors.
> 
> Determination is logic-defying because a determined being's field of knowing is essentially infinitely large, and they require no prior knowledge of an object or phenomenon to manipulate it, only the desire to do so.
> 
> An example:
> 
> Sans is standing in the center of a room. Its dimensions don't matter. Until he's seen the entire room, he can only manipulate objects in whatever space he can see without lifting his feet off the floor to change positions.
> 
> Object A is placed in this space. Let's say it's... one of Grillby's ketchup bottles. He's seen/used one many many times, so he can bring it to him, and even open it, without touching it because he's familiar with it.
> 
> Once Sans examines the rest of the room, it's incorporated into his field of knowing, so if that same ketchup bottle was placed behind him, he could still move it, because he could detect the change to his field of knowing and knows enough about the bottle to do so.
> 
> Next, we place Object B, like my BrailleNote, at Sans' original position, and ask him to remove its keys without damaging any of its components. Sans wouldn't be able to do it because he wouldn't know how it was constructed by just looking at it, even though it's within his then-current field of knowing.
> 
> However, after seeing the whole room and removing the keys by hand, he could do it, even if it was placed out of his immediate field of vision, just like with the ketchup bottle.
> 
> If a determined being wanted to take out my BrailleNote's keys, they could do it without having seen the mechanisms operating them. "Magic is a matter of degrees" only applies to the other six forms of magic.
> 
> Let me know if I need to explain more...
> 
> Here's the link to the Wikipedia page on DMT.
> 
> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/N,N-Dimethyltryptamine
> 
> The link to the page on endorphins:
> 
> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Endorphins
> 
> Here's the YouTube video where I first learned about the Tuskegee experiment:
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hRwWxELXakA#t=07m45s
> 
> Unit 731 is also... alluded to... in that video before that timestamp... look them up online at your own risk.
> 
> Subjects like this, especially the DMT headcanons, are why I talked about citing sources in the notes proceeding this entire story...
> 
> As of November 22, 2017, I've found a documentary which explains how DMT works! It's called DMT: The Spirit Molecule. I watched it on November 22, 2017, and it can be found on Netflix. Turns out my halfass research on Wikipedia isn't nearly as far off from the real scholarly thing as I thought! Let's just say the last big DMT study was in the '90s... the surface calendar '90s, so... yeah: DMT's still not well-researched at all. It's very trippy, and I'd recommend it, if you want to hear about dMT's weirdness from the source.
> 
> Also,
> 
> Yep!
> 
> It's happening!
> 
> The Man Who Speaks in Hands is back!
> 
> Well not yet, but still!


	28. Chapter 28

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's official.
> 
> Visiontale is over 100,000 words.
> 
> I don't even want to guess how long it will be by the end... but place your bets in the comments if you dare! Gneh heh heh!
> 
> Basically: the first two-thirds of this chapter is the DT extraction process, with all the medical procedures involved. The last third is... more decisions I shouldn't be making...
> 
> Also music! I put the link to it in the endnnotes as well as in the chapter text itself.
> 
> If you're curious about my thought process in choosing the music for this chapter, skip the part of the endnotes contained in asterisks.
> 
> If you're confused about me describing the layout of the room with just audio cues, read the part in asterisks.
> 
> Otherwise, ignore the endnotes.

28

Chara and I sit in silence for only a second before we shout variants on "[OOOOOOH MYYYY GOOOOOD!!!]"

[Dewey's like. Actually relieved right now.]

"So at least this," he emphasizes, "is crazy enough that you have to sit and process it first."

He sighs in relief. "That's good."

The hand stack becomes lighter. [Paps removed his hands.]

"I mean," Papyrus says to no one in particular, "when Alphys and Sans first proposed this idea to me, I reacted in very much the same way."

I can't help but relax when he lets out his usual gneh heh heh. "I am very much surprised you react to situations more similarly to me rather than Sans's, considering you knew him longer."

"I mean like, I can appreciate puns but can't make them so… ehh."

"But why are you so shocked yo!? This like, totally makes sense yo! I was thinking, determination and green magic share properties so… I don't know. Using them at the same time could happen, if determination was injected into a monster cemented in green magic yo."

After a moment to think it over, I agree. "That's true. It'd make anyone able to use any form of magic without training. ‘Cause like, they would have been exposed to them as they encountered monsters."

"Uh… Sans? Undo the hand sandwich. I… need to get some stuff."

"You mean the handswich?"

“{[Ugh…]}” and more cringy noises aside.

“SAAAAANS!”

Cue Will and Dewey giggling… but not too loudly.

The tingling vanishes, and I lift my hands from the tabletop, flexing my fingers… and realizing exactly how heavy Sans's hands are compared to everyone else.

The scraping of a chair across from me. "I'll be right back. I just need to know a couple things before I leave. First how much do you weigh?"

{Oh God. Biggest Loser flashbacks…}

"Uh… I don't know…? Like… 95-ish pounds? Maybe…?"

Alphys walks around the table and nudges me with her elbow. "Come with me. I need your exact weight. It's so I… I know how concentrated this sample solution needs to be. We, we can't be too cautious. There's a scale over here--"

{This… isn't awkward at all…}

[Truuuue.]

Chara laughs nervously as Alphys guides me to the left side of the room. "We're standing against the left wall. The scale's in the upper-left hand corner of this room. Remove your shoes and bag and jacket. We'll take several measurements and use the value at the tenth percentile. We're not using the mean 'cause well…"

She gulps as I hand off my bag to her, "we used the mean for our monster test subjects and…"

She's said more than enough, so all I need to say is "Oh…" to get her meaning.

From in front of us and slightly to our right, Sans asks, "Heya Will?"

"Yo?"

"Can you go--"

[He's pointing to a panel on the wall near the door where we came in.]

"--and press the top button on that panel? It'll put up a clear barrier for you to stand behind."

"Wh--" Will begins to ask, only to stop himself. "Oh yeah. 'Cause… only you guys know how to handle determination--"

[Sans like, waved his hand to cut him off--]

"Oh I'm not qualified either. Neither is my bro. Only Dewey's allowed on the other side with Alph and the kid. And even then he needs to stay out of the ten-foot--"

"It's actually three meter radius," Alphys corrects as she nudges me, presumably toward the scale.

"The three-meter radius around her." He corrects.

A short chuckle. "Always the stickler for details."

"I mean," she replies, brushing my side as she bends down. I hear some beeping sounds near my feet. "Not like you're not."

She stands to her full height again, lightly touching my elbow to get my attention. "Okay. I've already zeroed the scale. Just walk forward, stand on it for a count of five, step off, count to five again, then repeat nine more times. We'll tell you if you need to repeat anything again. And Will? Put the barrier up now. While Pauline's measuring herself I'll prepare the DT extractor… so we can expose you to determination in a safe environment."

"Sure thing yo!"

A short humming noise, and the click of plastic on metal. "It's up!" he calls out.

"I can watch her Alphys," I lean forward a little so I can hear Dewey from across our half of the room, near the table. "You need to change into a proper lab gown."

"Of course."

Alphys pats me on the arm clumsily as she hurries past me, another door opening and shutting behind her, from near Dewey's voice. As it shuts, I hear some light footsteps approaching me. "I can come a little closer to you but not much more. I'll be standing at the edge of the restricted area. I can still give you instructions from here.”

“Where’d she go?”

“She just left to go change. There’s a room full of supplies through a door across from you., in the right wall."

"Sure." I acknowledge as I step off the scale for the first time independently. "But why is Alphys… extracting, DT, from me?"

"Just to see how much of it you produce right now. After extraction she'll create the solution DT is administered in, but in a much more diluted form. I'm assuming she'll make enough so she can pour it into a beaker, so you can touch it."

{Uh… nope.}

[Just one nope?]

{I mean, isn't DT injected? This seems… kinda weird…}

[Yep! Thank Watt she's not injecting anything into us!]

{Same! Wait why Watt?}

[It's... just an expression. Like thank Tesla... except less... implications.]

{Like by Edison?}

[Yeah. Except Watt’s not a swearword…]

I step off the scale a second time. [Wait how can you be afraid of needles if you can't see them?]

{It feels weird. Like… just the idea of something so thin going inside you is… ugh.}

We shudder simultaneously as I step off the scale a third time. "While I'm here, I have to ask you a couple questions. To make sure Alphys can, extract and expose you, to DT properly. Do you have any allergies?" Dewey begins.

"Besides pollen, cats, dogs, soy-based things, and penicillin, no."

"Good. I have to ask 'cause… well… we've never performed these procedures on a, conventionally-alive human, and even though all our stuff is magic-based, we still need to know."

Six measurements to go. "Fair enough."

"That and," Sans comments from across the barrier, "she's usin' an unconventional extraction method. She's gonna prepare the extraction sites with some chemicals so, yeah."

[Halfway there though!]

{Yep!}

[And thank Watt they're not using a needle!]

{Yep!}

As I'm about to step on the scale a sixth time, the door Alphys left through bursts open. "Okay," she seems out of breath. "I'm back! I'll prepare the extraction equipment. Anything I need to know?"

"No," Dewey answers as he walks away a distance toward where I heard the others earlier. "Hold on Alph I'll get out of your way. Will lift that up will you?"

"Heh heh--"

"[SAAAANS!]"

"Really? I didn't even intend to pun! Again!"

"Get used to it Dewey."

Papyrus sighs dramatically all Mettaton-like. "You finally feel my pain!"

"But sure I'll do it yo!"

"How many measurements have you finished?" Alphys asks from near the other door as she opens a… a fridge? I breathe in sharply as the bitter smell of chemicals wafts toward me, and the room becomes slightly colder. It seems like it.

"Seven now."

"Good. I'm just unpacking some sterile equipment and disinfectant so, take your time."

A muted thud as the fridge closes.

{I'm nervous man.}

[Yeah. Me too. I've… I've never seen this before. I never even knew this stuff existed.]

{Hmmm.}

One to go.

Alphys walks over to me. "When you're done, I'll lead you over to the DT extractor. It's against the back wall, between the scale and the fridge. I'll calibrate it so the contacts fit you--"

"Wait whaaat!?"

{I'm not freaking out at all!}

[Same!]

"Alph's gonna fit pads on your skin, which'll extract the DT."

[Thank Tesla Sans is like, all chill right now though…]

{Truuuue…}

"We don't use needles 'cause we use green and blue magic derivatives to locate and extract the right stuff. That, and Alph's gonna be hooked in so she can operate it."

I quickly step off the scale, only for Alphys to take my arm. She begins leading me across the room. "Wait wait so she's using the thing with her mind?"

"Yeh."

[Saaaans! Just "Yeh?"]

{Finally you get it! How does he not give a shit!?}

['Cause he probably knows how Alphys did all this with the others. From Dewey.]

{True…}

"Probably not the best time to be talkin' 'bout this, but, she's usin' a CAD&CAD interface. CAD stands for computer-aided design. Like how the Lego factory's operated all by robots."

"Yeah."

[If robots are gonna take over it's gonna start there. And Mettaton's gonna make it happen. Just you wait.]

{I didn't know you were into that…}  
"The second CAD stands for consciousness-aided design. It taps into a monster's field of knowing. To create more, personalized, manufacturin' processes. Magic stuff that can't be done with a machine."

In a… wistful tone, Papyrus adds, somewhat faintly, "CAD&CAD was one of Gaster's biggest breakthroughs. We've used it to make--"

[Paps is pointing at stuff around this room.]

"--to make almost everything here. It's how Alphys made our smartphones. Your iPhone charger. Even the DT extractor’s blueprints. Everything."

"Whoaaaa," I breathe as Alphys swabs my forehead with a sharp-smelling liquid, then attaches a… flat fabric thing… to that area. "Lift up your shirt a bit please."

"Sure."

Her gloved hands brush my stomach as she attaches the same kind of pad again. When she finishes, she guides my hands to the pads, which have wires leading out of them. With her hands gripping mine, she leads my hands to the ends of the wires, placing my fingers on the edges of the sockets where the wires come from, as well as the rounded body of the DT extractor itself. "I'll be standing to your left side. I'll have similar mechanisms attached to my head and hands, accessing my field of knowing. I'll be monitoring and facilitating the extraction that way."

All of a sudden, she seizes my shoulders, the wisp of magic which is her breath blowing against my face. "And if you feel even the tiniest bit uncomfortable, tell us. I'll… I'll be able to feel it too but… I don't actually know how sensitive I'll be toward your pain. I could tolerate the six other humans but... their pain receptors weren't genuinely attached to their bodies so... that may make a difference. And I'll be restraining your ankles and wrists, just in case--"

I jerk in her grip. "Hoooly shiiit!"

"It's so if you have a… negative response... you won't hurt yourself. I'm strapping your wrists to some metal bars behind you. And your ankles to some bars below the DT extractor itself."

Loosening her grip on my shoulders, she says more gently, "You don't have to do this, you know. This is only so you can experience what determination is like. You… you don't really need that, for what we--"

"Well if I'm gonna be scared shitless might as well know what I'm gonna be scared shitless by."

Sans's and Chara's reassuring laughter. "So Gaster's not the only one who's made pithy quotes. See bro? I haven't forgotten everything."

"Well it's true." I retort as Alphys straps my wrists and ankles to the metal bars she described.

"So… do you understand the risks? You… you could get hurt. Your soul… might experience some, side effects."

"I mean I have to. So I know what this... CAD&CAD thing is like.

"Yes. I do."

Alphys steps away. From my left side, I hear some squeaking and clicking sounds. After a few more seconds, she announces, "DT extraction one initializing… now."

A... tugging sensation on my… I don't even know where. It feels like my head and chest but… who knows? After a minute or so, I tentatively ask, "Guys?" The tugging sensation slowly intensifies.

A chorus of "Yeahs?"

"Where is the determination being extracted from? And… she said my soul might get hurt… like, where is my soul?"

"That's easy yo!"

I'm taken aback by Will's immediate response. "It's the brain! That's the thing in humans which makes decisions for you! Stores your personality! And controls the stuff your body makes. Like the magic in monster souls yo. So whatever's telling your body to make the DT, it's in your brain!"

"Well the adrenal gland, in the front-ish of your brain, to be more precise. And your liver. Th-th-that's what the second extraction site is f-f-for b-b-but, yeah. Will's right." Alphys, somewhat strained, answers.

"So," I slowly realize, "Asgore wants to use human brains exposed to magic to break the Barrier?"

"Exactly." Papyrus answers, equally slowly.

"Uh…"

I shudder, as the tugging quickly ends, the pads detaching from my body. Alphys rushes over to me, handing me… something wet. "You feeling okay?”

“Yeah.”

“Any pain? Was the tugging too hard?” she insists.

“I mean, it could have been worse.”

She ssighs deeply. “Good. That’s good. So our extraction method is as painless as he said it would be…

“But before we continue, I have to ask: do you consent to us keeping the determination not placed in my sample solution? We’re… somewhat short on it… and well… I’ve been too afraid to ask Asgore for the souls back…”

“I mean, I can always make more so… ehh.”

“Okay. Use the wet wipes to clean the contact sites. In the meantime I'm gonna prepare the… sample solution. The table's on this side of the barrier so… I'll get you over there first--"

Before Alphys can finish, Chara takes control of my body, and I begin walking. [The chair's on your right.]

As I sit down and begin unfolding the wet wipes, Alphys bustles back over to the DT extraction machine, and some whirring and squealing noises fill the room. I can just barely make out her muttering, "--so light for her age… prematurely born… ninety-two pounds… its density is 1.09 grams per cubic centimeter… need to make this much so…"

I eventually set down the wet wipes on the table when I’ve finished using them as Alphys walks back over. She stops to my left, a clunking sound following close behind. With her hands still gloved, she holds my hands in place on the table where they are. "Okay. I've set a 500 mL beaker in front of you. It's filled about…"

"I'd say," Dewey helps out his daughter, "that's about two-thirds full--"

The Skelebros agree.

"Yeah. What they said. So, I want you to touch it with your first two fingers first, on one hand, then the other. Let the determination soak in. Only then, after you've felt, no ill effects, do I want you to put your hands in it.

"I'll be just outside the restricted area taking measurements, but I can't be any closer 'cause well… even at these concentrations I'd melt on contact. If anything makes you feel uncomfortable, withdraw your hands and wipe them off on--"

She lets go of my hands long enough to set a plastic bag on the table next to where she held my hands down. She guides one hand to them so I know where she put them. "--on this second set of wet wipes. Open them now so you can access them easier."

As I oblige, she continues instructing, "This solution also contains derivatives of several other forms of magic. I’ve customized it so its ethergraph is identical to what you’ve been exposed to so far, with some slight skewing toward forms you haven’t felt yet, so you can experience them safely. So there’s, in order of concentration: blue, yellow, light blue, then green, and some trace amounts of orange and purple magic. So you can… acclimate to them. You understand?"

"Yeah."

Alphys lifts her hands off of mine, and I hear her walk away a few steps. When I've finished opening the package, I make a scissors gesture with my left hand, lifting it off the table and inching it forward. When I've made contact with the outside of the cold glass beaker, I find the rim and dip my fingers downward, coming in contact with…

{I kinda expected it to like, burn or something.}

[Same.] Chara's equallly, let down…

"Talk to us kid. What's it feel like?"

"It's like… kinda like water but… a little thicker." I haltingly describe as I dip my first two fingers on my right hand in the determination, rubbing it between them and my right thumb. I perform the same rubbing gesture with my left.

"Any pain? Numbness?" Sans intones from behind me.

"No. It's, like sticky and…"

I stutter, trying to describe how it feels. "Warm… but no pain."

"Any changes to your stats?" Alphys questions… urgently.

"Uh…"

[Close your eyes and concentrate.]

[Base, you had 30 HP, 10 AT, and 10 DF. What is it now?]

"{Uh…{

"32.

"It's 32." I turn my head slightly toward Alphys's voice.

"What is?" she presses.

"My HP."

"When you came here I saw you had 31 HP so… okay. And Sans told me that in Snowdin you had 30.

“How about your AT? When I checked you when we first met I saw it was 11."

"It's…" I pause for a second, visualizing the braille numbers. "12?"

"And your DF? It was 10 at its baseline in Snowdin. And 11 when you first came here." she continues.

"Uh… still 11."

"Okay."

Clicking of keys and… more incomprehensible muttering. "Her ethergraph... perseverance is pretty high… but those are abnormal concentrations… only living human we've--"

"Do you think she can put her hands in it yo?" Will startles me... and Alphys, because I hear some clattering, plasticy sounds.

"Sure." Alphys finishes… muttering to herself…

I submerge my hands fully in the determination up to my wrists, a faintly warm sensation traveling up my arms. "Keep them submerged until I say to remove them," Alphys orders.

"Yeah."

As I sit there, I notice that the backs of my hands feel… colder, for some reason. {What the--}

[The DT is disappearing. I… I think we're absorbing it back.]

{So did Alphys not use it all--}

[Remember she took the rest.]

{Oh yeah… 'cause she said she'd alter the concentration to suit my weight…}

By the time I've removed my hands, the beaker is empty. Other than my hands being slightly warm, they don't feel sticky at all. I've barely finished wiping off my hands as the barrier behind me lifts up… and Papyrus lifts me out of my seat…

"That was actually very interesting to watch human," he says in my ear, thankfully at a normal volume. "Although, determination's red coloration made it a little, unnerving, to look at."

He shakes a little as he sets me down again. "It was like watching Nightmare on Elm Street. All the buckets of blood--"

[Whoa Sans does not approve…?]

{Why?}

"Bro? No spoilers. She might wanna watch that movie for herself at some point."

"Of course." Papyrus quickly apologizes. "But Alphys? I… know Pauline might have intended to ask you this before but… why did you have her submerge her hands in her own determination?"

"It was so she could feel what it was like. The extraction and exposure processes, I mean. To expose her to the only forms of magic she hasn’t felt yet.

“And so we could gauge the extent of her discomfort, obviously." Alphys adds on hastily. "Because… if she felt any pain or anything, we'd have to… modify… our extraction systems, to minimize that pain. Especially since we'll need… a lot of it… for the reconstruction process."

"But Pauline," Papyrus turns my chair around to face him, "do you even want to… volunteer… your determination-creation capabilities to us at all?"

https://soundcloud.com/fredrikhathen/true-determination-from-fallen-an-undertale-tribute

Make sure you finish reading the chapter by the end of the song.

A little hurt, Papyrus turns toward Alphys and rebukes, "I'd think you would have asked that first and foremost! Especially after our... discussion... on medical ethics."

A soft gasp from Alphys. "I… I know. I… w-w-was just s-s-so exc-c-c-cited I c-c-couldn't-"

"It's okay." I tell her. "Like, now I know how important Gaster is to you and… I mean at least I know why you did all those experiments. Even if I don't agree with it. Hell you're right I do think it's fucking horrible. But at least… I can get something out of this."

"You don't have to decide this now," Dewey says more gently. "You're volunteering for a, frankly unprecedented study. For monsters and humans. And," he laughs, "using prototype equipment no less! It's the ultimate scifi cliché!"

"Not quite." Sans interrupts. "You guys know the machine we'll be hooked in to? I've… used it before. A lot, actually. It's been a few days but… it's not like it's completely untested."

I relax. {If Sans used this thing then it can't be so bad.}

[Sounds about right.]

"Do you… want us to leave you alone to think about this yo?" Will asks… adopting the Chara-doesn't-sound-their-age attitude.

I don't answer.

"No. Just… stay here--"

[Please.]

"Please. I just need to think that's all."

Several "Okays." From everyone.

[I'd say do it! We weren't hurt by it so…] Chara opens up.

{Yeah true.} I cautiously admit.

A mental sigh. {It's just… I don't know I shouldn't even be thinking about this! I'm… I'm barely an adult.}

[But adults are eighteen. You're eighteen--]

{I know but it's not like that.} I rush over Chara. {I… I can't do adult things. I can't do shit! I can't drive--}

[Seriously?]

{Chaaaraaa!}

[Sorry. I didn’t mean to…]

{I can't take the bus to school. I can't use my own money from my own bank account on whatever I want. I--}

[It's 'cause of your parents right?]

I don't answer.

[I'm assuming that's a yes…]

{Yeah… *sigh*}

[I…]

Exasperated grunting. [Look: they're not here. Fuck it they probably think you're dead or missing but probably dead at this rate. You have no way of talking to them. They have no way of knowing where you are or what you've done or who you're rooming with or all the shit you've said--]

{True.} I slowly admit.

[So if you wanna do it do it! You've already managed your own money. And gone places by yourself. And met lots of fucking awesome people. And really fucking important people who want to help you.]

Chara laughs… and it's not creepy for once. [You said it yourself: if nothing else you'll learn about how the Underground really works before Asgore takes your soul, if you help out. And…]

A wwave of overwhelming melancholy hits me… and this time, I know it's from Chara.

[I... I'll be able to see Gaster again. Maybe even in person. Well not exactly in person but you know what I mean. With your… our… determination I—we--could…]

They have no need to complete their sentence.

{Yeah. I get it. If I'm gonna die... I might as well do it in style.}

[Ehh… I guess.] is Chara's… taken aback response. [I mean, isn't that what YOLO is?]

{YOLO means "You only live once."}

[Like… I saw that in your memories since the last time you said that so… yeah I know. It's just… strange… that we're making a bucket list when determination technically stops us from dying.]

I laugh a little. {Yeah true.}

"You okay kid?""

{Shit Sans probably thinks we--}

[You're--]

{We're crazy…}

[Crazier…]

"Nothing."

{Like… also Gaster's like, Sans's and Papyrus's dad so… we'd be bringing them back together again.}

[Yeah.]

{And well… I fucking owe Sans--}

[You think?]

{And like, Papyrus… really looks up to him…}

[To Sans and Gaster. And Gaster taught him how to treat humans so...]

{Yeah. I… even if I don't approve of Asgore taking my soul, at least I can do this for them before I...}

The enormity of what will eventually happen to me hits me.

[And you're completely forgetting how even the damned Dreemurrites admire him.]

{True. And like they hate human culture so... if they like him then... daaaamn.}

[So… come on what are you waiting for!? Go for it!]

{What no memes?}

[Well.] Chara, didn't expect me to actually ask for memes for once. [I guess...? if you want.

“JUUUUUUST DOOOOOO IIIIIT!]

I take a breath, and I feel Chara tensing up. To everyone at once, I begin by saying, "I… you're… Alphys you're right. I… I don't like what you researched down here. Or what ended up happening from it I mean. And like, if anything happens to me it's all my fault for accepting. And I still can't fucking believe that you guys can just… live with all this--"

A sad laugh from Alphys. "Trust me: that used to not be the case. It's… still really hard for me to get out of bed and do normal things sometimes. A few years ago it was worse."

"So," Dewey asks, "what are you trying to tell us?"

"Look man," I shift in my seat, locating Dewey's voice, "I'm fucking scared. Like, I don't know what to expect 'cause the last time I was in a study thing was in sophomore year of high school. I think. And even then they didn't do any of this stuff they just got data from me.

"But… if nothing else, even I know how Gaster did all this important shit for you guys. And like, if the Dreemurrites think he's important then… yeah. He must've been really damn important."

"More than you could ever know." the Skelebros… and the Curies… and Will… and Chara… all say in unison.

"So," Alphys asks, trying and failing to suppress her excitement, "will you do it!?"

As I'm about to reply, I stand from my seat with my palms facing outward. Will performs the Inertia Society handshake with me. "That's great yo!" he squeals. "And just in time for my magitry test!"

Dewey follows Will's example. He sounds… a little teary. "I… I can' thank you enough. I know you might hear this a lot from us but… thank you."

Alphys squeaks in delight as she presses her palms against mine. "oh yes! I knew you could do it! This is what determination does! It does the impossible! You had no reason to do it but… you are! You really are!"

I yelp as I stumble backward… someone… wrapping their arms around me. "Oh thank you." Papyrus cries from far above my head. "I… I can't believe I--we might… please just-gneh!"

A clatter… and the tingling of Sans's magic taking Papyrus’s place. I lift a couple inches off the floor. As I squirm, confused by the sudden use of magic, I realize that I’m being held rigidly upright. [Wow Papyrus getting flung out of the way like that thoooough…?]

{Truuuue…}

[And like… it’s not like Sans to do this. But hey! Now we're eye-to-eye socket with him for once!

{Chaaaaraaa!}

As our hands press together in the fourth Inertia Society handshake I've done today, my body reverberates with Sans's magic as he speaks, that same note of, dignity… and of, finality, entering his voice.

"It is fortunate you have realized this. That some of us use the Inertia Society handshake to close deals. To seal promises. As a sign of trust.

"I shall be the first to say, on behalf of the Inertia Society of Royal Scientists, the Dreemurr royal family, and all monsterkind, I thank you for volunteering your mind, body, and soul toward our cause. May our collective efforts cement the collaborative bond between humans and monsters that we so desire.

"I give you my word. In five days time, you shall stand before our father, so that not only you, but those of the current generation who received their education without his guidance, may experience why Gaster was so loved. Why he so desperately wanted monsters to ever refine their values. Their reasoning. Their mastery of the world around them.

"And, you shall see how my father shaped not only our family, but those of every monster in the Underground."

As my feet touch the floor, Alphys squeaks. "Y-y-you d-d-don't h-h-have to d-d-do that Sans p-p-put me d-d-down!"

A hint of… amusement… enters Sans's voice as he replies, "Oh? Come now Alphys: Gaster uplifted our civilization. We cannot keep anyone waiting."

Chara… giggles all out of place like again. [Wooooow that pun was baaaad…]

{Should I laugh? Would it like, be offensive if I don’t laugh?}

[Uh… I’m lost for words too. I… I never thought I’d ever hear Sans so formal… but still make puns…]

A thunk as… presumably… Alphys drops back onto the floor. "I… I guess that's true. Dad?"

"Yes?"

"You get Pauline and Will to bed. 'Cause like… let's face it. We've been here for a while. You may not know this guys, but you like, look really tired."

"Sounds good." We agree.

"Papyrus and I can look through our old video recordings and diary entries to make sure we… remember everything right…"

"OF COURSE ALPHYS! But it is surely eroneous to assume that I, Papyrus Wingdings Gaster, would ever forget our father! So viewing his speeches and our old home movies is surely unnecessary!"

Alphys laughs. "I'm not saying that Pappy. Just… as a precautionary measure, you know. And Sans?"

"Alphys?"

[Wow I never thought I'd see Sans amused. And not just 'cause he's a skeleton so he doesn't have face muscles to emote…]

"How about you get your machine from your room? You brought it here all the way from your house just to get this idea off the ground. I know it's been a long time since you've done proper magitry work around here but… I'm sure we can get it all powered up at least."

[Uh I'd ask you to quote Xenoblade but fucking hell that laugh isn't creepy and mad sciency at all!]

{Yep!}

"Heh heh heh heh heh. With pleasure."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ******
> 
> Here's the layout of the room, from top left to bottom right.
> 
> Top left corner: scale
> 
> Against the center of the front wall: DT extractor
> 
> Against the right side of the front wall: fridge storing perishable lab supplies
> 
> Top right corner, set in right wall: supply room
> 
> Center of room: table
> 
> The safety barrier divides the room in half horizontally. The door is at the center of the back wall.
> 
> *******
> 
> Here's the link to True Determination! It's from Fallen: An Undertale Tribute.
> 
> https://soundcloud.com/fredrikhathen/true-determination-from-fallen-an-undertale-tribute
> 
> When I first heard this song, I knew I wanted it in the soundtrack for Visiontale. This moment: Alphys telling me about her idea for bringing back Gaster, as well as the... ethical dilemma... of me helping them, is what I imagined when I heard this song. The fact that it was recorded with real instruments doesn't hurt either.
> 
> I couldn't wait.
> 
> I had to post this, even if there may be some... minor errors. I want Gaster back sooo badly it's not even funny.
> 
> I created my theories for soulology and determination so they could both account for how humans can save and bringing back Gaster.
> 
> Seriously: I've been spoiled by Man Who Speaks in Hands and their sympathetic portrayal of Gaster...
> 
> Soon, we can have Dadster feels... and exposition regarding very hard fictional science... all in one!


	29. Chapter 29

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I had to write this chapter in one take.
> 
> Cue my headcanon regarding Sans's machine in his shady basement...
> 
> Also cue detailed notes regarding music in the endnotes!
> 
> THIS IS IMPORTANT!!!
> 
> starting with this chapter, make sure you're up to date, and continuing onward with the chapters that come out from now on. There will be spoilers from the previous chapters in the chapter notes of succeeding chapters. They're essential to giving context.
> 
> I'll try to avoid spoilers on my twitter @VisiontaleSans, but no guarantees.
> 
> If you want to talk in the comments or on Twitter, just mention the latest chapter you've read all the way through.
> 
> Before you begin the content of your comment/tweet, write the number of the chapter you've read, followed by SPOILERS!, to indicate to people not to read your comment/tweet if they haven't reached it, like so:
> 
> 29SPOILERS! or 17SPOILERS!
> 
> I'll put SPOILERS! before any of my comments with spoilers in them. If your comment isn't in this format, I won't approve it until you resubmit your comment with the ChapterNumberSPOILERS! qualifier before it. It's only fair...

29

Over the next four days, I hardly spend time with the monsters who accompanied me down to the True Lab at all. With few exceptions, we don’t share meals together, instead their food being Boxed to their work spaces.

When I have trouble falling asleep, and instead lie awake, talking to Chara, I sometimes hear footsteps and doors opening and shutting in the hallways around me. Voices, whispering in hushed tones. Crying. Screaming… even some mock angry noises which only Papyrus can make.

I spend the day with Undyne and Will, learning from Will’s school books. Thankfully, Will is… patient… enough to scan his books in the proper format, so I can transfer the files to my BrailleNote to read. Primarily, I read soulology texts, but that’s mostly because that’s what the books in Will’s backpack are about. “I was checking some out ‘cause I wanted to know what magic I’d be cemented in yo,” he says one day, after I read an explanation of orange magic.

“I mean, I don’t know what you’d use. Maybe… actually bravery sounds about right. Or purple?”

“As long as you throw yourself into it with a pure heart, it doesn’t matter what kind of magic you end up cemented in!” Undyne points out from my left, as enthusiastically as ever. “I mean, look at me! No one expected me to use green magic!”

She gives a hearty laugh. “Even David! He thought I’d share magic with Tailor or something!”

“[Truuuuue.]” Will, Chara and I agree. “Like, what you said about helping monsters… it’s not what… we—“

“Humans yo.” Will interjects. “Well, some humans—most humans yo…”

“What most humans,” I admit, “would call kindness but… monsters are who decide on what magic does what so… ehh.”

“But determination’s amazing!” Undyne thumps my back… Chara squeaking with each blow. “Just think: that’s how you’re able to walk around without a cane! Or play Super Smash Brothers with only sound! THAT’S AMAZING!”

“It’s not that amazing yo.”

[Wait Will being serious though…?]

“I mean,” he explains, his chair scraping along the floor to my right, “she had to learn to do that. And besides: she just had to think a lot. It’s not like she got superpowers or yo!”

“NOT TRUE!” Undyne objects. “How does she know how to walk around in this room without even being here before! I haven’t had to punish my furniture for hurting her even once!”

{[Uh…]}

“I mean,” I explain as I reach over across Undyne’s desk to grab my water bottle, “you were like, yelling at me and saying where the bed was so—“

A pair of knocks at the door… then a second pair of knocks at the door… then a third pair of knocks at the door… and then an indignant “NO! I’M NOT DOING IT!”

“Oh come on: Pauline will know how many of us are knockin’ at the door without us tellin’ her. Not like ya haven’t done that already…”

SAAAAAAANS!? NOT AGAIN!”

{[Paaaaps?

{[JESUS!]}

A crashing sound… clanging footsteps… another crashing sound as the door bangs open… and a… squeal? “NGAHHHH! PUT ME DOWN!”

“Duuuuude!” Will runs over to a spot behind me to my right, toward the… noises. “How are you doing that yo!? Undyne’s like… twice your height Sans!”

“Practice.”

Some shuffling footfalls toward me, and two pairs of claws on my shoulders. “Hi.” Dewey quietly greets in my ear.

I reply “Hi.” As Undyne and Sans proceed to argue? In the doorway.

“Guys?” Alphys tries to stop them. “We didn’t come to… debate this. Please Undyne. Just… you two can duke it out later.”

Everyone proceeds to walk into the room proper, their footsteps stopping at Undyne’s desk at various places around my chair. Dewey lifts his claws from my shoulders, moving one pair to my lower arm on my right side. “I’m right here,” he softly clarifies.

“Human?”

“Papyrus?” I turn my head slightly to the left toward his voice.

“We would like to, apologize, for neglecting to give you company over the past four or so days. You must know, we are awfully busy now! Us, and the team who formerly worked on the DT study.”

“Yeah I know.”

“It is just,” Papyrus sighs… and I’m not at all surprised by it, “we have had to, convince, some Inertia Society members to lend us their expertise. Because as you may have guessed, many are hesitant to help us after the tragedy five years ago.”

“That, and I’ve had to deal with tons of requests for interviews. Of you. Me. Everyone.” Sans continues from behind me and slightly to my right, behind Dewey. “And, a couple haven’t been… civil.”

[Oh God all the spare chairs are floating off the floor.]

“Yeah…” Alphys seconds from directly behind me. “Some tabloid blogs have asked us for interviews. When our requests over email don’t keep them away, their authors come here and…”

[Wow I never thought I’d see Alphys trying to sound nice… or civil I guess is the word now…]

{Whyyy?}

“And… speak… to us in person. In the hallways between work spaces. In the elevators and longivators. A few even, waited, outside the Lab starting the day before yesterday—“

“At least: till I told ‘em to get lost.”

[Oh God slight eye glow of doooom.

{[Nope nope nope nope nope--]}

“Did you kick their asses?” Undyne… somehow eagerly asks us from behind my left shoulder. I miss some of Sans’s reply, my ears still ringing as he begins to speak.

“—Gaster Blasters. Didn’t use ‘em though. And a bit of blue magic. Nothin’ serious.”

A long… cold… laugh. “But I wish they gave me an excuse to use more.

“The way some of ‘em acted? I woulda made ‘em feel exactly how much pain they were causin’ if I could.”

A reply with no hesitation. “Why didn’t you then? No one could stop you.”

[Dewey? You’re into violence all of a sudden?]

Chara seems… too excited about Sans giving these reporters a bad time… and I agree with them.

Just a little.

“Sans?” Papyrus asks.

“To be blunt? I would’ve. ‘Xcept I had to save up my magic for tomorrow. If it weren’t for that…”

Alphys… and Undyne… and… Papyrus… all whince in pain simultaneously.

“Please Sans. You’re… you’re hurting me.” Papyrus… begs.

[Oh God nope nope nope nope nope nope.]

{Chaaaaraaaa? Whaaaat’s wroooong?}

[Please please please please please please Sans why are you doing this they didn’t do anything wrong it was the reporters’ faults just pleeeeeease stooooop!]

{CHAAARAAAA! WHAT’S WRONG!?}

“Please Sans. You… you can’t afford to do this.” Dewey follows Papyrus’s example. “We all know you think these guys deserve a bad time. And I’m not going to argue with you on that. They do. They really, really do.

“But… you need all the magic you can muster. We’ll need to use all the power we have to bring Gaster back tomorrow.”

“Well,” Alphys slowly adds on, “more like tonight and tomorrow morning… on second thought I don’t actually know what time it is on the surface… but… yeah: you’re right.”

“Wait what?”

“Please look at us human.”

I rotate my chair to the left to face Papyrus, and I hear footsteps behind me, presumably as Dewey, Alphys, and Sans change positions so they can face me. “Yeah?”

“We came by to update you on the DT coupling machine. When we leave this place, we will be going our separate ways for a little while.

“Alphys and Sans will be riding down to the True Lab to perform our last set of checks on the DT coupling machine. And Dewey and I will help, prepare, you and your room for the reconstruction process.”

“My room?” I repeat.

“We’ll install DT-extraction devices in your room, similar to what we had you use a few days ago,” Alphys explains, rummaging around in a bag. “They—“

She hands me a flat, roughly elliptically-shaped panel the size of half a sheet of paper, “—will look--feel like this. Paps and Dewey will be sticking these to as many surfaces in your room as possible. And the DT they collect will be boxed to the DT coupling machine downstairs.

“Considering your, concentrations, of determination, we realized we don’t actually need to use all the protocols we came up with to extract it from you. Originally, we were going to sew some panels into your clothing and bedding. Because they would have the most direct contact with your skin while still being noninvasive. but… we realized that was unnecessary. The two of them will be sticking them to the surfaces closest to you, so closest to your bed.”

“Okay. Will you be down there after?” I ask Papyrus.

“Yes, actually. The four—“

“Bro? You’re forgettin’ to include will—“

“{[Will?]}”

“Yes.” Papyrus answers at once. “Believe it or not, his family has had a long history working with the Inertia Society. His parents were… and still are… some of our most staunch supporters!”

“[Duuuude!]”

[Will’s like, bouncing up and down on Undyne’s bed.[

“Gneh heh heh!”

“I know right!? I’ve been, trying not to give it away yo.” Will manages to sound sheepish. “I like, was surprised about it too. But, I guess it makes sense yo.”

Affecting Alphys’s professional tone, Papyrus continues, “The five of us will be hooked into the DT coupling machine in an identical manner to Alphys, when she extracted determination from you. It’s just that our souls will have a more direct hand in the machine’s operation.”

Like, what are you gonna do?”

“To put simply,” Dewey explains from in front of me, applying a slight pressure on my left lower arm as he talks, “we’ll be using our memories as the blueprint for Gaster’s body and our determination to reconstruct his soul.”

“Wait wait wait wait wait hold up.” I emphasize. “Our? Determination?”

“It’s not all that much, but us monsters do contain determination. But it’s like a drop in the ocean compared to the other forms of magic we contain and can potentially use. And well… you know why we can’t use it…”

“[Oh…]”

“Basically our magic will be focused toward the reconstruction processes, providing most of the guidance for the machine. But our determination, including yours, will help reconstruct Gaster’s soul. We need to be there to… channel… our desire for him to live again, into the machine.”

Solemnly, Sans finishes, “And besides: my little machine’s great and all, but it needs living monsters to power it. It may be able to replicate Gaster’s body down to the last detail magic-wise but…”

[I… I don’t know how to explain this… but… Sans actually stopped smiling.]

Confused… okay maybe more than confused, I ask, {Whaaaat?}

Surprise and… sadness… flows off of Chara and into me. Wow… just…]

“Nothin’ can beat the primal desire to live inherent in living things. Human, or monster. No machine can replicate that.”

The only way I can think of to respond to this revelation is a soft “Mm-hmm.”

“Tonight, the five of us will ride down to the True Lab and hook into the DT coupling machine,” Papyrus, somehow, grandly announces. “But before then, we will have dinner. Together. And after, we will… medicate you—“

“[Wait wait wait whaaa!? The f--]”

“We have to do it,” Alphys rushes to reassure me. “We’ll be giving you a combination of green and blue magic derivatives. They’re some of the solvents in the solution we’ll give you to drink just before we go down to the True Lab. We’ll also be giving you anesthetics, to ease any pain you may feel. That’s why we asked you if you were allergic to any medication. So we’d know if we had to, recalibrate, our formula.”

“Makes sense.”

“What’s the solute gonna be?” Sans asks. “You never told me.”

“Well, I originally created it so it could be administered with any dry drink mix, so it would taste better. But I suppose the solution can be mixed with any drink. It’s magic, so it doesn’t matter what physical substance the solution is mixed with, long as the drink has enough magic in it.

“The solution will be mixed in.” Alphys finishes.

I suddenly blurt out, “You have hot chocolate?”

{Whaaaat?}

[Come on I know you like it too…]

{Yeah… truuuue…}

[Your welcome.]

“Yeah!” Alphys seems to cheer up, “we do! I… just have to find it.”

Papyrus wraps his phalanges around my left wrist and pulls me to my feet. “We must not wwaste time! Dewey and I will accompany the human. The rest of you can find the hot chocolate and prepare the coupling solution.”

“HEY!”

“Undyne!? Don’t scare the human like that!” Alphys protests.

“Oh come on Alphy. She’s not scared! I’m just asking what I can do to help!”

“And me too yo!” Will pipes up. “I haven’t used any of my magic at all since you guys told us about Gaster so… I can’t do any magic stuff to help you but…”

“Well…”

[Cue stereotypical smart person pose.]

“You can use my computer and get as much motivational video game and anime music as you can online. And from my collection, of course.”

“How much you need yo?”

“Uh… I don’t know. Several hours worth—“

The whooshing noise of a spear… appearing… nearby. “Then let me at your computer then!”

“Yeah!”

{[Awwww that Undyne impression thoooough!]}

“Hey hey Undyne put me doooown!”

Papyrus squeezes my wrist as we walk by the chair and diagonally across the room toward the door. Over his… shoulder… scapula? He calls out, “I’ll text you when we have finished installing the DT extraction devices! Then, we will meet in the main dining area—“

“Actually,” Sans cuts him off, “I have a date with the Freudians. They wanted to ask Pauline some questions ‘but her thoughts on anthropomorphism so…”

“Whyyy?”

{[Oh God oh God nope nope nope…]}

The deep, pleasant laugh I’ve come to know… and love… from Sans. “Awh come on kid why that face? They’re not gonna ask ya ‘bout your instinctual sexual urges or anythin’. Just ‘bout how you perceive us monsters.”

“[Uh that’s not helping!]”

Papyrus rushes me out of the room before Sans can delve more deeply into… the implications of Freud… in front of everyone…

*A couple hours and one dinner later*

“So you keep forgetting Toriel’s not a human then?” Gerson recaps as I drain my glass of water.

I admit somewhat sadly, “Yeah…”

“Mwah hah hah! That’s all right. Long as you don’t compare me to your old man’s old man, we’re good!”

“Truuuue.”

“Uh… hello?” Alphys calls uncertainly from my left. She taps her glass several times. “I… would like to propose a toast.”

The room falls silent… but not before Undyne shouts “SHOW ME YOUR MOVES!” too loudly…

{[Eh!]}

She clears her throat… makes the sound of clearing her throat—does Alphys even have a throat?

“Everyone, I’m not going to waste your time tonight with a long speech. I just wanted to alert you all about what we’ll be doing tonight.

“Pauline has volunteered to allow us to use her determination in the greatest project our civilization has ever done. Besides the creation of the CORE, of course.”

Everyone shouts around me: “You bet your life—oh wait too soon…”

“Humble as always Alphys!”

“Hell yeeeeeah!”

“In any case, I want you all to know… regardless of what happens tonight, I…”

[Alphys don’t cry don’t cry don’t—she’s crying. But just a little.]

{Oh no…}

[She might make us cry…]

“I want you all to know I’m terribly sorry for not spending more time with you guys over the past few years. It’s just… I haven’t had the other six humans for company, to help me get all this off my chest, you know? I… I know we all miss them so much.”

Reminiscent mutterings. “Yeah… Simon was the mature one.”

“No. Adam was the mature one!”

 

“David would have made a great CAD&CAD user.”  
“Steven could have been my lab assistant. Hell; he could’ve had his own lab.”

“Tailor could have kept morale up for my team…”

“Kari could’ve taught my family to use guns right and not imitate every action hero they see!”

“And… as we all know, a significant portion of the population is still… reluctant… to send their children here for apprenticeships.”

Quiet muttering for only a few seconds.

“I… I want you to know… regardless of what happens… at least the results of this project will help us understand a lot of things.

Like our motivations for studying science. Like what we’re willing to risk for the sake of the Underground. And, of course.”

Knowing very well what she will say next, I confidently join everyone else in the room as we recite in unison, “Our values. Our reasoning. Our mastery of the world around us.”

[Alphys is walking toward us.[

“So,”

[Hold out your hands.]

I oblige, only to touch a… warm, smooth glass. From her place on my left, Alphys guides me to my feet. With her right hand grasping my left hand and wrist, she raises my glass in the air. “Then, I would like to toast. May the prospect of Dr. Gaster standing at his rightful place at the head of this table fill us with determination!”

The room erupts in cheers of “DETERMINATION!” as I touch the glass to my lips and quickly drain it… forgetting that Alphys dosed it with magic, anesthetics, and… sleeping pills… sleeping syrup, from the feelings of it… as I place it back on the table.

{It shouldn’t be this strong. How are…?}

I hardly notice as my feet lift off the floor, though I don’t feel anyone holding me by the back of my shirt.

I am barely conscious as the others guide me back to my room, or as they set me down in bed, all of them crowding around me.

The last voice I hear before I fall asleep proper is Sans asking in my ear, “You save kid? Just,”

He stammers, “Just in case we fail tonight?”

“[I have now.]” we manage to mumble.

*A few… hours later…*

I… we... stand… somewhere. I don’t sense any open space around me and yet…

It’s like I’m standing in a completely silent room. I somehow sense walls around me… or…

Am I in a wide, open space?

It takes me a while… no time at all… to notice a firm pressure on my left… right… side. “Hi.”

I start… or do I just stand still some more. “Chaaaaraaaa?”

A soft voice in my ear. “Yeah. Hi.”

“Uh…”

I don’t know what to say. “Uh… now you know what my dreams are like.”

“Yeah.” Chara’s… very interested. “I… like, can’t see anything. I think… but sometimes I think I can…”

They trail off.

“Yeah… my dreams are like that. Sometimes I think I can see light and shadow. Maybe even color sometimes but…”

“I remember.”

The sensation of shaking my head slightly… but whether it actually happens is another story. “Ehh.”

I realize that Chara’s placed my hand on top of theirs… and stepped closer to me. Our… shoulders touch… warmth softly emitting from their body. The warmth of… of determination.

We stand there for a while, unsure of what to say.

“It’s quiet.” They finally comment.

“Yeah.”

It’s like my room, in the middle of the night when everyone else is asleep… except there isn’t the whine of cars whizzing by outside my window… or our neighbors listening to weird CDs that sound like police scans…

It remains like this for a few… seconds…?

Minutes…?

Loop until the next note.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AB8o_VdvFpk

 

Then…

Then, from…

From everywhere…

From… right next to me…

From the… the ground… beneath my feet…

From… from… inside my own head…

I… I hear a…

A voice.

I hear a voice.

Pause the music, then listen to the whole comic. It’s short in any case.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GB5hMcAaIvY

Continue playing the music.

“Entry #17.

“Dark.

“Darker.

“Yet darker.

“The darkness keeps growing.

“The shadows cutting deeper.

“Photon readings... negative.

“This next experiment seems very…

Very…

“Very.

“Interesting.

“What do you two think?”

A Tense… second… eternity…

Before Chara and I start noping and screaming and generally making freaked out noises…

And swearing.

Because of course.

Stop music.

I shoot out of bed, the covers flying off of me with a… yelp?

Chara’s here… and they sat up in bed along with me, apparently.

“Wh-wh-wh-what just ha-ha-ha-happened?” they stutter.

I am about to answer when they… grip my shoulders, their head pressed against one of them. Their hair tickles my upper back. “That… that wa-wa-wa-wasn’t… what I r-r-r-rememb-b-b-ber…”

“What the…” I sit there, repeating over and over… or just “Whaaa…?” as Chara continues to stammer into my shoulder, their arms hugging me tightly. Eventually, they quiet down and scoot slightly away from me so we hold hands, their other arm still wrapped around my shoulders.

“Wha… what do you think happened down there?”

With a pang, I remember that Chara isn’t even out of elementary school… and they… volunteered alongside me for the experiment.

What else can I say but “I… I don’t know…?”

“The fuck did we…?”

“I… it… sounded like… like science.” I say weakly.

“Yeah… it did.”

We sit there a few more moments before…

“Knock knock.”

“{[Ahhhh!]}”

“Who’s there?” I ask.

Chara quickly hugs me before… receding… back inside me.

“I’m here.”

“I’m here… whoooo?”

{[Uh… whaaaat?]}

“I’m here to take ya to the others.”

“Okay.”

“That is… if you’re ready.”

I don’t answer.

“Can I come in?”

“Yeah.”

I emerge out from under my covers, laying them flat as Sans’s slippers slap against the floor in my general direction. After a couple seconds, he stops, his phalanges resting on my arm, the familiar tingling of his magic somewhat weaker than normal. “Ya feelin’ okay?”

“Uh… I guess.”

“Why’d ya wake up like that?”

{[Wait wait wait what the fuuuuuck he knew—knows?]}

“Uh…”

“Bad dream?” he says more gently.

“Uh… yeah…”

“What was it?”

“It… I…”

Though I just talked about it with Chara barely a minute ago, I strain my memory. “It…”

After a few intense moments, I surprise myself by reciting Entry 17 back to him, creepy pauses and all.

A few more moments of silence.

“That’s good. Not what I thought he’d do but…”

[Oh maaan I thought I’d never be so happy to hear Sans laugh thoooough…?]

{Yeh!}

“Okay. You heard ‘im. That’s good. Real good.”

Sans lets go of my arm. “So… you wanna come down for breakfast? Brunch?”

“Food?” he eventually settles on.

“Yeah sure. Just… I’m gonna use the bathroom.”

“’Course kid. I’ll be waitin’ outside then.”

*A few minutes later*

Make sure you reach the text proceeded by dashes by the time you reach 1:17, the text proceeded by asterisks by the time you reach 3:02, and finish the song by the time the chapter ends, at 4:43.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GHwIICxOCCI

… “—a long time. It’s kind fara--”

Sans chuckles. “Okay. Maybe a bit more than that from your room but. It’s okay. We’ll teach ya how to get there. We just wanted to meet here ‘cause… so we’d… remember everything. For old time’s sake.”

“Yeah I get it.”

After turning down a hallway and walking a few steps, we stop. “We’re here.”

The rapping of metal on… metal… or is it plastic? A rush of air by my face and hands… and Alphys’s breathy voice… from across the room within. “Oh thank Tesla Pauline! You’re awake!”

“Yeah.” I reply as Sans eases himself into the room in front of me, extending his left arm behind him while I hold his wrist. “Heya Alph. How you guys holdin’ up?”

“I’m doing okay. A bit hungry but… besides that, I’m fine. I’m not using my magic just yet but… it’s basically at its former strength.”

Sans readjusts his arm so we walk side by side. “Hold out your left hand. I was thinkin’ if we aligned all these tables and cabinets you could trail ‘em to reach the dining table—“

[Wait wait whoaaa whoaaaa what!?]

{Chaaaaraaa?}

They seemed… panicked… and yet… somehow… reassured. [Oh shiiiiit he’s not having any of that at aaaaaaall. That’s good.]

{Who’s not?}

[You know who.]

{Gaster?} I answer.

With a light laugh, Chara answers, [Who else?]

“You should be able to walk the rest of the way to the table kid.” Sans lets go of me and walks over to one side. “Just… stay there a sec.”

Some grinding noises to my left. [He’s like… moving the tables so they like, form a straight line.]

“Go for it.”

I trail the tables for a few feet, until my left hand hovers in empty space. I continue walking forward, hands out in front of me, until I bump a table. My right arm grazes a chair. I pull it out and am about to sit in it when Sans calls out from behind me, “Hold on.”

I stand there, waiting.

\----------

“Come on dad. We went over this. Ya can’t just stand there. She has to know what ya sound like, so she doesn’t confuse ya for someone else. Somehow.”

“And besides Dr.,” Alphys seems less, anxious, now. “You… you have no reason to be afraid. We, we told you about her. And she… she knows who you are. Just… do what you said you’d do in the Unified Theory papers.”

In a whisper, almost too quiet for me to hear, I hear… someone…

No.

I hear Dr. Gaster. He replies.

Listen until about 1:01.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DsxUFJYEYDM#t=00m28s

“If you insist.”

A rustle of cloth from across from me.

“She knows the Inertia Society handshake Sir.” Alphys says gently. “Don’t worry.

“And… don’t worry about being a skeleton. She’s already familiar with how you guys work.”

“Yeah.” Sans adds. “you have tibia afraid dad. I’ve gotten her used to how skeletons feel. That, and there was one hangin’ in her physiology class senior year of high school so... go for it.”

I hold my hands out in front of me, palms facing outward, waiting for… for Dr. Gaster… to return… to… initiate… the handshake.

**********

After an agonizing moment, where I can feel the nervousness pouring off of him in waves, Gaster clears his throat… somehow… and begins to speak.

“S-s-salutations.

“I am Dr. Wingdings Tesla Gaster. King Asgore Dreemurr’s Royal Scientist”

{Is… is that why everyone says “Thank Tesla?”}

[Kind of.]

Chara stops, seemingly collecting themselves. [No. I know it is. Yes. It is.]

Gaster continues, “You must be Pauline, correct?”

{Uh… he sounds… a lot different in person…}

[Yeah…] Chara seems… a bit abashed. [I… didn’t expect this either… but I… I never realized how much I missed his voice until now.]

“Uh…”

{Fuck how do I sound formal we’re meeting Gaster in our fucking pajama pants!?}

[Uh… yeah…]

{[SAAAAAANS!!!]}

“Yeah.” I choose to reply.

“It is an honor to finally meet you in person.”

{Oh myyyyyy Goooood his voioioioioioice!}

[Yep!]

Large, skeletal hands press against mine, extremely long phalanges gently separating, then intertwining with, my fingers. “I… I cannot begin to express my gratitude.”

[No no no no Gaster don’t cry you’ll make me—us--everyone cry!]

“I… I owe my entire existence to you.” His voice cracks.

[Oh well. There we go.]

Chara begins to quietly cry within my thoughts.

Sans’s voice cracks a little as he tries to joke from behind us, “Come on dad. Don’t cry. You’ll make us cry.”

[Well,] Chara sniffs, [he’s already done it so…]

“G-G-G-Gaster. S-S-S-Sans.” Alphys stammers. She’s clearly begun to cry as well. “It’s ok-k-k-kay. Out of all m-m-monsters, you guys have the right to cry!”

Gaster squeezes my hands tightly. “I cannot begin to thank you. My gratitude is… simply beyond comprehension. I would thank you but… I would have to do so countless times to even begin to…”

He trails off.

I don’t know what to say. “I mean… I don’t know. Sans and Papyrus and everyone seems to like you a lot so…”

I restart. “I mean, even if I don’t really know what to think of Alphys’s determination experiments, at least I… I did this for you guys. For… your sons.”

“And I am eternally grateful.” Gaster has seemed to calm down somewhat. “But… you give off the distinct impression of… of confusion. I, we, all owe you an explanation. Come. Sit while I gather my thoughts.”

After a few seconds, when it becomes apparent that Gaster won’t let go of my hands, even after I try tugging my hands free, I manage to sit down. Our hands are still grasped together across the table. Almost to himself, he quietly notes into the tabletop, “You are not disconcerted by my presence.”

[He like, nodded his head—I mean skull. I don’t know why he’s talking to the table but…]

“Good. Very good.” He seems to assure himself.

“I knew you possessed the capacity to do this but…

“Only now do I…

“Only now is it apparent that…

“Only now can I truly…

“My perceptions in the Void were correct.”

[He looked up—is looking at us.]

In a firm voice, Gaster says confidently, “I am glad I chose you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yep!
> 
> After almost 109,000 words, it's happened!
> 
> It's finally happened!
> 
> GAAAAAASTER'S BAAAACK BOOOOYS!
> 
> Wow...
> 
> This chapter isn't nearly as long as I expected... it's around 4900 words. Anyone else surprised it's not the longest chapter yet?
> 
> Here is the link to my first Gaster voice!
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GB5hMcAaIvY
> 
> Here's the link to my second Gaster voice! Listen from about 0:28 until about 1:01.
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DsxUFJYEYDM#t=00m28s
> 
> Here's the link to Ace Waters' remix of Once Upon a time!
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GHwIICxOCCI
> 
> Let's just say when I found this song, I immediately imagined it playing during the last scene. The song was that evocative. I've been working on how to stage the last scene for a long time, specifically how to synchronize the dialogue with the music. I'll probably change that part as my knowledge of film increases and as my preferences change. I started taking an introduction to digital filmmaking class as of April 4, 2017, so...
> 
> Yes: I know I used two different voices for Gaster. It's just that 1: I'd imagine he'd sound different in the Void, and 2: I love both these Gaster voices but couldn't choose one...
> 
> Now!
> 
> Cue the collective upcoming Dadster feels!


	30. Chapter 30

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is the longest chapter yet. It's over 6300 words so... yeah.
> 
> I had to make it long. I... I owe you all an explanation for the... end... of last chapter...
> 
> After two and a half weeks of struggling to motivate myself to sit down and write... I did. I finally did.
> 
> Also cue Gaster follower headcanons and more feels!
> 
> To be fair, probably every chapter from now on will have feels to some extent now so... ehh.

30

Silence.

Shocked, claustrophobic silence.

Gaster has achieved the impossible. He's made all of us stop in our tracks. Even Chara's unresponsive. You could disturb the tension and confusion just by breathing.

Chara's, disorientation, washes over me. As I'm overcome by dizziness, I contemplate how their presence seems to have become more tangible. It's not just limited to shared emotions anymore. Their presence hasn't bothered me physically until now. It’s like... like the times I decide to skip meals just so I can sleep in longer or watch a few more YouTube videos, even though I haven’t eaten in more than half a day.

{[... ... ...]}

I--we--tense up, as if holding our breath, preparing to scream at the top of our lungs.

"{[FUUUUCK! WHAAAAT??? NOOOOO!]}"

More confused noises besides.

Alphys and Sans mimic our stammering noises. "Wh-wh-wh-whaaaat!? Y-y-y-y-you... c-c-can't b-b-b-be s-s-serious! G-G-G-Gaster?!"

"... D-d-d-dad? Ya mean... h-h-h-how?"

[Sans's jaw--mandible--fuck I can't even bones--it's like.]

The smack of a face palm. [Ugh what is it? It's hanging open more than it should.]

{Like... unhinged?}

[You could say that.]Chara's... jumpy... and conflicted.

[I can't even--Gaster's like, ringing his hands... really really hard...]

"I suppose one explanation constitutes a wholely inadequate solution, to address what I have claimed. However... before we begin, Alphys?"Gaster's soft voice echoes off the wall to our right. "Notify the others of our... congregation. I would not put it past Papyrus to check Pauline's room, only to worry himself down to the bone over her wandering off. Or that the medication administered to you possessed... adverse side effects."

"O-o-of c-c-course!"High-pitched dialing sounds from behind me. "I t-t-t-e-e-exted everyone. I said w-w-we were in the d-d-d-d-dining room. The, o-o-o-o-riginal dining room."

“Heh heh heh heh. Nice. Gotta admit: ya still got the knack for puns.”

“{[Ugh...]}” Sans’s attempts to ease the tension... aren’t helping in the slightest...

[Gaster nodded his skull.]

"Thank you Alphys. That should suffice for now.

"Hmmm. Now, while we wait for the others to arrive, I had some questions regarding your, condition. Though my time in the Void granted me ample opportunities to observe you, I wished to compare what I observed to your physical reality, now that I’ve met you face-to-face."

"Well. Not really face-to-face but--"

"[Saaaans...]

" Alphys, Chara, and I groan, while Gaster laughs lightly. I try... and fail... to contain a mental squeeee.

"Uh… I guess...??" I consent.

"Actually, you bring up a valid point Sans."

"I did??"

[Whoa I never thought I'd see Sans so confused before thoooough...?]

{Whyyyyy?}

[Guess we'll fiiiiiind ooooout?]

"My intention," Gaster's voice becomes slightly louder and closer, and I sense a... shadow… in front of my face, "is to gather information pertaining to your, perceptions, regarding the anthropomorphic nature of monsters--"

[Wait wait wait wait whaaat the...?]]

"--considering that you have met very few of us. And even then, you have only met the more,"

He pauses, seeming to search for the right word. "Human, among us." he settles on.

"And," a hint of concern enters his voice as he gently takes my hands in his, "if our family must do anything to ease you into this environment. Surely, you must have contemplated the dilemmas surrounding our forms. For we are skeletons: you must have wondered how we eat, speak, seemingly respire, and, wear clothing, when we lack your..."

He lets go of me. [He's like, gesturing some more--]

"Your 'squishy insides,' as Papyrus calls them."

"Uh… yeah... I have. Do..." I correct at the last second, eliciting equally hesitant noises from Sans and Alphys.

Gaster's hands return to their original positions. "I must address this issue, even if in passing, before I elaborate on my, existence, over the past...

"A few uncertain, then frustrated grunting sounds. "Hmph. Sans? How long--"

"Twenty years." Sans answers without giving Gaster time to finish. "Well more like nineteen years six months but--"

"Human months and years," Alphys corrects... probably for me. "Not underyeers."

"Yeh."

"I requested for the presence of the others because it is only fair you become acquainted with our labmates, is it not?"

"Yeah that's fair." I agree.

As I finish talking, I hear a pair of knocks at the door.

{[Only one pair?]} Chara and I wonder.

{Well Sans is here so...}

"Knock knock." Gaster initiates the knock knock joke.

{What?}

[Gaster taught Sans his jokes man.]

{Oh yeah... fuck I forgot--}

"Who's there?" The monster at the door faintly replies from across the room.

"I have."

[Wow that setup’s laaaame.]

{True.}

"I have... who?" Apparently whoever knocked on the door is equally confused.

The click of the door swinging open, even though I don't hear anyone walking over to open it.

"I have waited far too long for this moment, my friends.

"A short silence before... rushing footsteps past me... my chair being pushed askew… and, Papyrus?

Papyrus and… someone else… several someone elses… talking all at once.

Listen to about 0:16.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nr7ybRlaprA&t=284s

"Alphys! Sans! God by Tesla Gaster don't scare us like that ever again!"

{Whaaa?}

"Murry!" Alphys light footsteps rush across the room toward Gaster and myself.

Pounding fists on... flesh... and, screaming and crying.

"Whaaaa?" I repeat aloud.

"Murry where were you!? I... I th-th-thought you'd--"

"You thought I'd get here so soon? Heeeeell noooo! I was talking with Dewey. He was worried about me.

"He cheerfully laughs. {He kinda sounds like Robin …}

{[God his accent's cool…]}

? Murry's here! After, after twenty years he..."

Dewey can't seem to pull himself together. "If that can't make me worry then nothing will." he finally replies in a… muffled voice…

"But that's beside the point." Murry acts as if he's brushed off Dewey's previous statement. "Alphys. I've heard DD's diverted his jurisdiction toward more urgent matters than your speech? I saw he's been busy with Pauline. You stutter more than I remember. Has he really--" Murry's concern is apparent, even through his unusual, and impressive, rhyme.

"Wh-wh-wh-what?! Saw what?" Alphys's interrupts, her voice rising a couple octives.

"I was on the verge of explaining our condition," Gaster continues, accompanied by the scraping of more chairs. "Murry, Annie, and I--"

"Please no dad not any more of this crap why did you have to come here all on your own like this I can't believe you didn't come talk to us before!" Papyrus near-screams… while crying, from in front of us, to our right.

[Awww Gaster's like… patting his skull. And he stacked? His mandible on top of Paps's skull. The thing that people do when someone's taller than another person.]

{Hold up how tall's Gaster?}

[Uh… like…]Chara gathering their thoughts. [Okay: I said before Paps was seven or eight feet tall.]

{Uh... yeah?}

[Scratch that Paps is like, seven-and-a-half or something. Gaster's a bit more--]

{Fuck!?}

[Yeah…]

"I know Papyrus." Gaster's voice breaks. "I should not have neglected my duties. I've become too accustomed to observing you and Sans from a distance. And we cannot share our fields of knowing, like I did with--"

Another, more solid pair of knocks, on the wall behind us, even though the door's presumably still open. "Gaster Sir?" a, seemingly female, voice asks from directly behind me, but from across the room.

Some clacking, rustling, and thudding noises around me. "Annie. I've told you, you need not knock. You're welcome to come and go when you please. You are family in all but name, after all."

"I know." Annie hurriedly apologizes, walking across the room toward our table, "But--"

"Dude we heard Murry's feels!" Will sounds from right behind me, followed by his hands on my shoulders. "We didn't wanna get in the way. And come on Pauline! We gotta introduce you to my hella cool sister!"

I stand from my seat and turn to face Will. "Oh," he quickly tells me, "put your palms out yo."

I do as he says, claw-tips brushing my fingers. They remind me of Alphys somewhat. "Hi. I… I know Gaster's probably already said it so… just know I'll do what I can to say thank you. Actions speak louder than words and all that. It's probably all we can do.

"I'm Annie Moore. Like the compsci Moore."

As we press our palms together, I recall, "That guy."

"DAAAAAD! OH MY GOOOOOD!"

{[Fuck!]}

"SHE KNOWS WHO HEEEEE IIIIIS!!!"

"PG get real." Annie teases. "You're shocked over nothing. She's smart! And she's from California! Silicon Valley--"

I groan, "Fucking hell if I had a dollar for every time someone's said that..."

"He's like from Intel!" Annie continues, unperturbed by my comment.

"So you're named after him?" I ask, as Annie walks past me. "I'm on your right. And Annie's on your left yo." Will whispers in my ear. "Sans is on Gaster's right."

"And Alphys is at the right end of the table. And Dewey and Murry are next to Sans." Annie adds.

"Thanks guys."

"No problem yo! I, I told Annie she has to learn to do this stuff 'cause you'll need it all the time. So yeah!"

"Uh... Sans?" Alphys asks. "Where's Undyne?"

"I told her to go cook somethin' nice. Real nice. Things that won't catch on fire."

Papyrus wonders "Hmm. I wonder what she'll make. I've only cooked spaghetti with her."

[Whoa Paps why'd you jerk upright in your seat like that what happened?]

He clears his throat—makes the sound of clearing his throat. "Oh sorry. I'm diverting our attention from what you wanted to discuss, dad. What were you talking about when I--we--came in?"

"How Pauline fell down. And I have many experiences from the Void to tell you besides."

"Go for it G!" Murry encourages from to our left. "I think they'll like it. Or get it, at least."

{Ugh he didn’t just call him that he’s too old for that--}

[Oh: he did...]

A breath--well it sounds like one--before Gaster begins to speak in a hushed... haunted... voice."The Void. I... cannot even begin describing it, as cliché as that sounds. Surely it is a magical construct of some kind but--"

[He shook his skull.]

"--I cannot draw any conclusions beyond that."

[He's like, looking at everyone one at a time. But mostly Alphys and Paps and Sans.]

"Certainly you must remember my accident."

Quiet "Yeahs." from all around me... and from Chara.

"We were conducting experiments in the CORE, reconfiguring the CAD&CAD arrays we suspended within it. To conduct preliminary tests regarding tapping into nearby surface computers. Recall how magic completely bipasses human security measures, considering they operate under alternate principles."

"Makes sense." I prompt.

After a moment of collecting himself, Gaster continues, "Hmmm. I had stopped to consult Murry and Annie, so we could move forward with testing our equipment. They agreed."We hooked into our CAD&CAD systems running the computers when..."

Trailing off, Gaster's body shudders as his hands begin to shake on top of mine. "Our computers malfunctioned at the last second. All had gone according to plan until the conclusion of our experiment. When we had connected our magitry to human computers close by, relatively speaking. Computers directly above us, on the surface."

Everyone sighs. "Our CAD&CAD machines crashed into the CORE's column of magic. There was, no hope of escape for us. Our cautionary measures... they proved wholely inadequate when faced with such colossal concentrations of magic, in such close proximity. Fortunately, Sans Papyrus Dewey and Alphys wer nowhere near our experimentation space but..."

"Oh my God," I breathe.

"Yeh." Sans shortly acknowledges. "We got out. Barely."

He laughs... and Chara and I wish that he hadn't. "Shortcuts. Awfully good for that kinda thing."

In a hollow voice, Dewey explains, "Everyone felt it. Our grief. Our sadness. Our loss. We, we h-h-hurt. We all h-h-h-hurt. Our s-s-s-stats dropped like stones for weeks a-a-a-a-afterward. The In-n-n-nertia Society... e-e-e-e-everyone in the Underground... n-n-n-n-no one could g-g-g-g-get away from it. E-e-e-ev-v-v-ven the Dreemurrites mourned."

"Now that you mention it," Will's small voice barely audible at my side. "we... my parents... they didn't talk much for a while. When they got the news they... they just cried constantly."

"Even Allen?" Gaster asks, and I'm surprised to hear his voice inflect upward a little in surprise.

"Yeah! Allen and Touring."He sighs, sounding completely unlike his age. "Man. Dad he... he cried a lot and held your compsci books everywhere he went, sis." Will leans across me to talk to Annie. "And Touring--our mom--she kept going through your stuff. Your school projects. Your toys. Your lectures. Your audio diaries and photographs. Everything."

Will’s arm brushes me as he adjusts his position so he's leaning forward in his seat instead. "Yours too Gaster. They've been doing it every day ever since..."

He trails off. "Uh I don't know if they've ever missed a day of watching your speeches or my sis's home movies."

"What?" I can't help but mutter under my breath. "Fucking Jesus twenty years of that..."

I don't know what else to say.

What can I say? I don't know them well enough to say anything else.

"When it happened," Dewey continues, "when you... f-f'fell, Gaster, you guys inter-r-r-r-rupted the CORE's magic emissions. Th-th-th-there, th-th-th-that, that was the first power outage we'd ever gone through."

"The space you cleared above the CORE, burst into... well not exactly into flames but, it definitely looked like it. Magic poured onto the streets," Papyrus recounts, in a mixture of sadness and, wonder. "All colors of magic pooled in the gutters. And I, remember being confused because, I saw red liquid, red flames, that day. There wasn't much of it and I didn't understand why it was there, but… gneh heh. I suppose that doesn't matter, doesn't it? Only that it was there."

"Oh my God."In hushed voices, Will and I say "Determination."

"Yes." Gaster confirms. "That explains, what I saw. What we saw. I know now, from crossreferencing your research with our experiences, what little determination resided within us... that kept us alive.

"That column of magic tore our bodies and souls asunder--"

Gasps of disgust and, morbid curiosity. "Do not be mistaken, we experienced no pain as we fell in. For the CORE merely dissipated our physical forms. The currents of magic running through the CORE kept the... conscious... aspects... of our souls in tact. And simultaneously, uniform amounts of our souls were carried along any magic which emanated from it. Though poetic, it would suffice to say that every time someone turned on a light, connected their consciousness to a computer, or placed an item in a Dimensional Box, a fragment of our souls was beamed across the Underground along with it.

"Essentially, our consciousnesses were spread across the Underground through the magitronics the monsters employed.”

“So,” I can sense the gears turning in Will's head, “you were everywhere all the time. And you guys saw everything! But we couldn't see you yo. The magic we used was, alive.”

“[Whoaaaaaa…]” The surreal nature of Will's observation doesn't take long to hit Chara and I.

“You got it!” Murry congratulates Will. “But that's not all. Far from it.

“We were spread out. So we saw everything, all at once. Our fields of knowing were enlarged.”

After making a couple contemplative sounds, Annie supplements, “It was like everything was made of plastic. Transparent, I guess you'd call it. We could see through walls. See any and every room. See everything and everyone--"

“WAIT WAIT WHAAAAT!?” Everyone except the CORE accident victims shout various statements of shock and confusion… and wishes Annie hadn't elaborated on their state of being.

[Wooooow I've never heard Sans nope so hard before…]

{True...}

“And since we existed everywhere at once, this included monsters', and I guess the six humans's, fields of knowing as well.” Annie elaborates. “But the thing was, we realized how squicky and nightmare fuely and creepy this was, so we agreed to stay out of them.”

“That,” Murry butts in, “and there's just, one, maybe two? times in a monster's life when they willingly let someone see—experience—inside--their field of knowing.

“Since our souls were scattered across the entire Underground, but constantly being brought in contact by the circulation of magic, by the CORE or by the monsters using it naturally, we like, developed several hive minds, one for each of us. Each fragment was a self-aware and independent version of us. We could still communicate and think properly. Distributed computing, basically--"

“[Heh?]”

“Murry,” Gaster seems amused, “let Annie explain this. After all, I hired her precisely due to her expertise in human computer science, theoretical and practical. And she updated her knowledge while in the Void.”

“Okay!” Annie seems to be psyching herself up. “Distributed computing is when you have lots of computers working on solving the same problem. They each have their own memory, and they can only communicate with the others by sending them messages. I think, our situation was more a case of parallel computing, where all the computers have a shared memory.”

[She shrugged.]

“Or a little of both. When it comes to the soul, you, can't exactly use language like this but… blame Murry--"

“Hey! I said it 'cause I thought Pauline would know what it was!”

“I mean, now that you put it like that I know it. I read this one book one time that talked about these nannomachines that were stupid but could solve difficult problems together... the developers released them into the wild to solve reproductive and intelligence problems so... yeah--"

“Good. Very good. That is more reassuring then you could ever know.” Palpible relief in Gaster's voice. “Then, what we are about to explain next will not come off as so utterly,”

He grasps for the right word.

“Alien?” Annie suggests.

“Trippy?” Murry seconds.

“I suppose in retrospect, both are appropriate.” Gaster decides. “This warning goes for all of you, not just Pauline.

“It did not take us long to notice, differences, between what we saw, across each fragment. Sometimes, we would observe a monster performing an action, while another fragment of our soul would see that exact same monster perform that action in a different manner.

"Simultaneously.”

“{Whoaaaa.}”

"We saw… that in these instances, there were often times where the Underground remained the same save for that one difference--"

“So like quantum mechanics and shit--" I recognize his description.

“Ya know 'bout it already.” Sans interjects suddenly.

[What what what Sans no no no no no stop staring at us--]

{Why?}

[It’s creepy! Why else!?] They’re... exasperated, by my ignorance.

{Yeah... good point.}

“Yeah. Like, in sophomore year of high school I read a lot about that stuff.”

[Whoa Sans is leaning in toward--welp the handswich officially has a third layer.]

{[Ow.]}

“How much do ya know?”

“Uh…” I'm caught off guard by Sans's seriousness... and how he’s whispering directly in my left ear. “Like, lots of people think there's parallel universes where everything has happened already. Will happen. Is happening right now. Ones where only one tiny thing is different and ones where everything is."

[Sans nodded.]

“Exactly. Dad: is this what you saw? Versions of the Underground where only one thing changed? And some where everything did?”

Chara and I can’t help but sigh in relief, in our thoughts and aloud, as Sans leans away from us. My body... and soul... prickle from his magic’s contact with me. I slouch down in my seat the slightest amount, my shoulders slumping, my arms bending more sharply, my forearms and elbows pressing more forcefully into the tabletop. Chara yelps. [God no no no Sans...]

“Yes, actually.” A slight upward inflection in Gaster's voice as he responds at once. “We, actually realized this only after… after…”

He seems to have completely lost his train of thought. “When discussing our experiences, time is irrelevant,” he realizes suddenly... and with a pang, I understand his shock. He... doesn’t seem to have taken it well. “And… when you consider how our souls became scattered across time and space--"

“More like shattered across time and space.” Murry corrects.

"Yes.” Gaster says firmly. “I… I concur. That is, exactly what happened to us. Our souls became shattered across… across time and space. So we experienced time, even if only for a mere fraction of a second, in each universe, our souls gradually fragmenting the deeper we immersed ourselves in our, situation.”

“So,” Papyrus slowly tries to puzzle it out, “you felt the passing of time in every universe you came in contact with. Time became… inflated. Infinitely long, even.”

“{Fuck.}”

“For you would experience it in more and more places the longer you let your souls exist somewhere. Because…"

[Okay I'm not even sure how Paps is working his mouth--jaw--like that but okay--]

"--each time a monster made a new choice, they would create new universes.”

"PRECISELY!"

[Awww Gaster patted his sons on their skulls. And now he has an arm around each of them.]

Gaster seems to have, aged up by… I don't even want to guess how many years… when he next speaks... and yet, his eagerness remains. He seems, a little more than just happy, to have the language necessary to articulate his experiences, let alone an audience to hear him. “We experienced, collectively, thousands of timelines. More, even. We had no frame of reference, no foundation on which we could ground our situation. As far as we knew, we could not interact with the timelines where we existed. We could merely observe. And for the longest time we had split our attention between infinitely many of them.

“But our anchoring point, what little solace we had throughout the first stage in our, captivity, came from the control we eventually exercised over our souls. We resolved to monitor only timelines branching off our own. In order to keep watch, over our loved ones.”

“And 'cause of that,” Murry continues, “we saw all the stuff you did, after we died, I mean. And..."

A few footsteps, walking from left to right in front of me, and then a brief squeal from Alphys. "You did well Alphy. We... were... are... proud of you. You handled everything with as much grace and dignity as you could. Everyone saw that. "

"Pauline? I... I d-d-don't kn-kn-kn-know how to... we... you m-m-m-must have g-g-g-guessed. We had t-t-t-tto plan, the funeral-l-l-ls." Alphys recounts. "Just... there w-w-w-was no d-d-d-dust to collect. M-m-m-m-monsters spread the dust of dec-c-c-ceased loved ones on items imp-p-p-portant to them b-b-but..."

"Mm-hmmm." I complete her thought for her.

"So we decided to seal that room shut. To, m-m-m-move all the machines elsewhere."

"So when you went down there earlier..." I begin to clarify.

Everyone responds with a "Yeah." of their own.

Annie continues Murry's explanation. "the six humans whose souls you collected, your research on determination, and…”

[Where to start with her face…]

“--and everything that came after. Everything everyone did since we fell. We saw it. Short of your innermost thoughts, we saw it. We realized, in our current state of being we could easily take a look into your fields of knowing and your souls proper. So we could... could know everything. But... we knew we couldn't exploit you guys by scanning your thoughts, even if--"

She sighs. "--even if it turned out you would never know about it. We didn't… want to go that far. Not when we hadn't done anything like that while we were alive.

“The thing was that did make our plan really hard in the end. To… manipulate… who fell down, I mean."

"Whaaat?" I can't help but interject.

"Yeah." she confirms. “This timeline, where you’re here, branched off the one where we... where we fell down long ago. It’s the same one, except for that. For the most part.

We eventually figured out that we could use the rest of our souls for other things. We existed in a… a space--well not a space—“ she stammers.

After a couple seconds, she continues, the tiniest bit more composed. “--in a, a state, where our souls weren't bound to a physical host. Or even, even space itself. Casting magic turned into a matter of thoughts. Concentrated, sharp and clear thoughts. Consciousness-aided design in its purest form.”

With unrestrained joy, she pulls apart our handswich and grasps my hands in hers. “We could just… move…"

Her hands twitch slightly. "--our souls a certain way… pretend to make a certain gesture… and we'd make something! We imagined a lab. Our lab! This Lab! We recreated it in that space… around… near... as a part of us. To... to comfort us. To ground us in some tiny semblance of reality. We just didn't need to eat or sleep, 'cause we had no physical forms to maintain. We could work anytime.”

“{[Duuuuude…]}”

“And while we did that,” she keeps going, her words speeding up gradually as she goes, “we figured out that we weren’t just limited to watching over the Underground. We got to the point that we could observe the surface.

“And then we learned to interact with things down here, to exert our magic on machines to keep them running, so no one had to worry about them. So you could access the human information you needed. We did everything we could short of dropping files crammed full of our knowledge directly into any computers. We just stayed out of monsters’ and humans’ fields of knowing, so we didn’t affect their actions directly. And with a little more hard work we learned to... to cast magic on Your world. The surface!”

In wonder, she recalls, “We saw: the Barrier enclosed the Underground in a huge magical capsule, embedded deep in the earth. And we learned how to move it around, by force of will--“

“Wait wait wait wait wait!” Out of nowhere, Alphys exclaims. “That's how I got my anime! I, I always wondered--”

“Damn right! That’s how everyone got their computer parts which were used as CAD&CAD prototypes.” Murry proudly says. “We moved the Underground around in this timeline, so you all could get what you wanted. Waterfall was a conduit to the surface, connected to a surface waterway. Stuff could go down it, but not back up. And we kept them safe, to account for any damage your stuff might take. That's how Undyne got her stuff about Malcolm X. How Sans got his video games. And--"

A squeal from Dewey. “--how you got all your human academic journals. We just manipulated the timelines, so everything was the same except you got the issue of Computers and Human Behavior you wanted. And since time was no object we could make all the changes we wanted.”

[Murry dear God let go of Dewey you're gonna suffocate him duuuuude.] Chara thinks frantically.

“But,” Gaster eagerly adds on, “this does not explain our end goal.

“Selfish as it was, I… I longed to use this power to find a way back to you. Sans. Papyrus. All of you. I had resolved to do this by the time you all had collected the sixth soul, and nearly completed your fated determination study. Make no mistake: my goal of discovering a method for freeing monsterkind had not faltered in the slightest during my time in the Void.

“Thus, I knew what I had to do. I had to find or create a timeline where the Barrier could be broken without further violence. One where the six humans already existing could be returned to their bodies. And one where the seventh human who did eventually accompany us to the surface would suffer minimal psychological trauma.”

Undisguised excitement from Gaster. Despite the absolute infodump and clusterfuck he’s foisted on me, I... can’t help but feel excited along with him. His eagerness... it radiates from him.

His... emotions... they’re coming off of him in his magic.

In this moment, I know why everyone, Dreemurrites included, mourned him. Why the Inertia Society respects him so highly. Why Sans placed so much stock in his guidance, his shaping of monster children’s education.

He deserves those comparisons to Aristotle and Leonardo da Vinci and Nicola Tesla.

“Thus, we searched the timelines for candidates. Humans who could be thrust into the Underground without completely deteriorating psychologically. Humans whose education would aide them in understanding what they faced while traversing the Underground.

“And yet, they had to be humans whose living circumstances would not inhibit them when they… fell down. Not more than it already would.

"Thus, we focused our search on older humans. High school and college age humans. Those who lacked the accepted amount of social connections, or sufficient connections in their lives. Which resulted in humans with generally unhappy lives, though some were less unhappy than others. Humans who… frankly… would not necessarily mind entering our world. Not for the usual reasons.”

“You dropped me down here?” I summarize.

“Kind of.” Annie admits. “The thing was there were lots of people to choose from. Like I'm not even sure how many. All were equally qualified. And your disability didn't affect your selection at all, actually. In the end we just… learned… from watching branching timelines that as long as we broke the Barrier, gave the six humans their bodies back, and caused little trauma to the seventh human, gender or disability or race or socioeconomic status didn’t matter.”

“Obviously the laws of magic had to be the same in the timeline we chose,” Murry answers a question I was about to ask. “And the candidates had to come from timelines where the Underground didn't exist, let alone ones where the Underground was always open to the surface. Not even ones where the Underground was only a… myth. So they couldn't use that information to influence their decisions.”

I slowly confirm aloud, “I… yeah. Sounds about right. It's crazy but...”

I don't bother finishing my thought.

“They were timelines where the surface had developed the exact same way as the timeline we came from." Dewey seamlessly merges into Murry's explanation, Murry confirming with an encouraging “Yeah!

“Well, except for a couple things.

“One was they were… determined.

"Very determined.

“Annie? This is, your forte so.”

She picks up where Murry left off. “We saw the cumulative affects determination had on the timelines over the course of our, our experiment so… yeah: the save points. The… rewinding of time… we saw that happen.”

A wobbly, uncertain laugh. “It was… really trippy. We had to choose versions of the candidates who were determined enough to save and… and load.

“That and… well…”

Even though I've only known her for a few minutes, Annie's, discomfort, pain, and... countless other emotions I can't even begin to describe, flow from her.

“We had to bring them to a timeline where the candidates fell down on their own, by accessing the Underground with their determination. You’ve heard how the Underground is under somewhere called Mt. Ebot right?”

“Yeah why?”

“The thing is... Mount Ebot’s... a magical construct. It existed before the Barrier did. Not after.

“These timelines were ones where they died on impact, on arrival in our timeline, so when we brought the alternative versions of them there, their existence wouldn't… conflict… with their preexisting selves.

“And you know how Gaster said our determination was the only thing that let us do this?”

Analyzing her explanation, and reaching several possible answers, none of them pleasant, leaves me apprehensive. Despite it, however, I reply with a soft “Yeah.”

“He was right. We... our... our desire to live drove us to make these advances. I... I don’t even know where our knowledge came from. Only... only that we got things working somehow. We found you. And... and readied the Underground, by dropping it underneath cities with wealths of information on accessibility technology. We went through experiences which confirmed your DT theory, Alphys... we defied the Dual Awareness Principle!”

Chara somehow manages to snark, [Wow that’s nerdy...]

Reluctantly, Alphys agrees: “I sup-p-p-pose you d-d-d-did.”

“This, in addition to the constants surrounding our lives, led us to our final cluster of timelines.” Murry summarizes.

I let out a soft “Ooooooh…” before replying in earnest.

“I… I'm dead here--"

“You were dead here.” Gaster quietly corrects.

“I was so unhappy I… I... came here?”

“Yes.” He confirms sadly.

“But I… I--“ I stammer, certain where Gaster will go next.

“But ya said to Shakur you didn't mind bein’ down here.” Sans completes my thought. “Grim as it is, really, ya don’t mind it. So ya wanted to come here. Maybe not consciously, but ya wanted to, cut loose.”

“So,” Papyrus softly realizes, “you fell down here, because you… could not live the independent life you so desperately wanted.”

I sigh resignedly. “Yeah. That’s... that seems like something I’d do, if I could.”

“You,” Alphys says into the silence, “don't look all that shocked about this.”

I sigh again. “I mean I guess I… I've spent a lot of time thinking about living not with my parents. In universes of books I liked. Even when I was in elementary school. ‘Cause Orientation and Mobility training, it forces you to be independent and learn from mistakes. My mom... she... doesn’t believe much in mistakes.

“I’d think about living in different universes. Pokémon. Harry Potter. Other ones too. And… and Xenoblade, a little.”

“Escapism's not bad,” Dewey points out. “Well if, if you've really been doing this for so long I… I guess it could be. But…”

An out of place laugh that I strangely don't mind anymore. “I guess it worked out, in this case. You wanted to live in a world run by RPG mechanics and you got it.”

The Gasters follow up with strained laughs of their own. “I had a lengthy concluding statement and apology prepared but, I suppose it's unnecessary, is it not?” Gaster notes.

[Gaster don’t joke about that please please no...] Chara... pleads... weakly.

“I'm not one to judge.” Sans comments.

“You may not believe it but, we still think you can help us,” Papyrus encourages me, “even though... even though you intentionally fell down here. I… I hope you know this. That… well…”

[Woooow that gneh heh heh is saaaad… Paps no no no no--]Chara begins softly sobbing again… and it sounds like Papyrus has followed their example.

“You must have realized this early on. Us monsters have coped with, and still cope with, many forms of mental illness, according to humans. A… a tragedy like Gaster's death... our stats lowering... that does things... to beings like us. Our magic weakens and... I know now: the little determination we carry inside us... melts away.

“We’re all traumatized.

“And… and war being the center of your whole existence, even when you have no reason to fight anyone, does that too. Undyne’s right: even Sans, Alphys, the Moores, and I, even we grew up being told war stories and playing war games.

“Gaster’s passing hurt us. So we... we just... wanted to forget.

“And we succeeded.”

I exhale softly. “That's why no one has talked about Gaster much before now. Our culture has undergone a mass suppression of memories."

"'Cause it literally hurt you." I bluntly point out.

”“Yo. This… is, it makes sense yo.” Will somehow manages to sound a little perky, even now. “I... I always wondered why... why Allen and Touring watched all those speeches. They were... trying not to forget. It hurt them but... they were trying to fight everyone’s suppression using their magic. Gaster they... they admired you that much.”

In a firm voice much too... mature... for their age, Will says, his magic brushing my right ear, “I don't care how you did it but, sis? You're here. Thanks Pauline.”

A sudden hug from my right side. I awkwardly return it.

“Guys?” Dewey asks as Will and I let go of each other. “Get Undyne over here. We… we need food. And... and besides: we need something to do while we get ready to tell Pauline about magitry. After all Gaster: you were soooo hyped about that, back in the day.”

“And I still am.” Gaster's enthusiasm seems to have returned. “I wrote the Unified Theory papers to finalize the protocols surrounding the education of a human in this subject. And in our culture more broadly. I, I must… take some time to prepare.”

A scraping of his chair against the floor. “Sans? Papyrus? Alphys? Do locate the Demonstration Crate of Stuff--"

“{[Heh?]}”

“Literally it's called that,” Alphys giggles a little as she stands up as well. “Because everything inside's, hard to identify, under human conventions. Gaster and my parents, they were working on rewriting human computer and electrical terminology to conform to magic when we last met in person so… yeah: the Demonstration Crate of Stuff is still its name.”

“I shall call Undyne to bring over the celebratory food! Spaghetti or otherwise!” Papyrus's loudness comforts Chara and I more than we care to admit as he stands.

“Oh man: get Gerson in here.” Sans walks around the table with the others. “We'll have a ton of explainin' to do 'bout the Inertia Society.”

“A skele-ton?” I turn around a little so I can talk to the group as they file out of the room.

“OOOOOOH NOOOO!” Papyrus mock? Gasps in horror. “Damn it! Not you too!”

“Paps? She's made blind people jokes. Skeleton jokes shouldn't surprise ya.” Sans correctly infers as the door swings shut behind him… followed by Papyrus’s still-audible angsty sigh.

“Well,” Annie's breath brushes my cheek as she turns her chair so she faces my left side, “I never got to properly introduce myself before. Or our parents. Or Alphys's parents either. We should have just enough time for that while they go get the Demonstration Crate of Stuff.”

A crash from my right side. “By Tesla! Will!” Murry shouts, sprinting around the table.

Thudding and scraping sounds. “I'm fine yo. I just realized: my basic magitry test is tomorrow night yo! But I haven't studied yet!”

{[Fuck.]}

Delighted laughs from Dewey, Murry, and Annie. “Oh come on,” she teases her brother. “When Gaster's done going through his shpeal you'll know more than your teacher could learn in an underyear! A hundred underyears!"

"Hey Pauline! Come on cheer up. We, we're so excited about this. We knew you could handle this. Even if you don't think so. We're, giving you the chance to act how you want. 'Cause we can't get hurt by what you say anymore. We've... heard tons worse. You've heard some of it already, from the Dreemurrites."

"Oh yeah." I furvently agree.

"So yeah: come on. Get hyped. High five!" Murry shouts in my face.

[Uh--he's got both hands held out palms first--]

We perform two high-fives at once. "You're lucky guys. Now you'll get to the good stuff. You're gonna see what we've been planning for, for all these years."

He whoops. "Damn it's a good day to be a member of the Gasterocracy. A really damn good day.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Unfortunately, UltimaAlmighty's channel has been taken down, but his videos are mostly readily available online for viewing.
> 
> Here's the link to the page on distributed computing. I viewed it the first time on April 20, 2017.
> 
> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Distributed_computing


	31. Chapter 31

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> If you're unfamiliar with the card game Magic: the Gathering, read the endnotes. If you want to know my thought process behind the properties of magic relative to physical processes, read the endnotes. Otherwise, ignore them.

31

"I GOT IT! GOD DAMN I'M GOOOOOOD! I've successfully stabbed my name into this sheet of paper! This is why they call me 'Spear of Justice!'"

"Undyne. Please, by Tesla this isn't what Pauline--"

"But Gerson--!"

"Mwhah hah hah! Really you little urchin? Still riled up as ever. Even after all these years…" Gerson's a little wistful. "I never thought you'd want to learn braille but, I guess spending time with the Curies has widened your horizons!"

A slamming sound against the table. "OF COURSE! Why wouldn't I be excited? Gaster's back for fuck's sake! He's great. He got me to give a shit about science! And if it weren't for him I wouldn't have gotten to know Alphys!"

"{[Eh!]}" I concur as I munch on the… spaghetti… raymon that used to be spaghetti…

"COME ON!" Undyne suddenly shouts in my face. "I didn't hear you! You're too damn quiet! Alphy has the same problem. She doesn't go all out, even when she should. If you're happy for me, BE HAPPY DAMN IT!"

"Okay okay." I try to brush Undyne off as nicely as I can, just so she doesn't make me go deaf, continuing to slurp down the raymon.

"So like you've known Alphys since you were kids?" I ask her after a few seconds. "And your guys's parents knew each other?"

"Yeah! Duh." Undyne calms down… just enough. "My parents knew Gaster. They helped work on the CORE. They lived next to Dewey and Murry."

"What were they like?"

"Nerds."

She barks out a laugh. "Really big nerds. Kinda quiet, Like DD but… they were awesome. They introduced me to Dewey and his family, you know."

[Whoa Murry calm down stop patting Undyne on the back so haaaaard…]

"Yeah they were! But we support that!" Murry enthusiastically begins as I hear liquid being poured out... he's probably filling his bowl with more raymon. "Like, they were really into Gaster's work. But they also helped Undyne develop her own interests, even though they weren't that athletic. 'Cause when she was younger she liked sports. A lot. They were just as hyper as she was just about different things."

"And they were Gerson's proteges when it came to human theology," Dewey adds as he sets down his… fork? Spoon?

"They always talked to him about the theology books he collected. Bibles. Torahs. Korans?" He pronounces slowly. "Everything. Even the... the more extreme stuff."

"Like?"

"Malcolm X." Dewey states simply.

"{Oh.}"

"Where do you think she heard about him from?"

Although most likely, Dewey doesn't intend to sound accusatory, I stop in my tracks anyway. "I guess..." I admit, trailing off weakly.

A hard… but much less hard than I initially assumed… pat on my shoulder from Undyne. "You're so ashamed right now. I wish you could see that. It's okay. I should've told you.

"My parents were really into human politics. Like, hella into it! They horded all the human newspapers! All the ones from the United States! All the way back to only Tesla knows when! Like the ones about… about the world wars and… and communism."

"And the Civil Rights movement." I finish.

More seriously, Undyne continues, "Yeah. I've known about that for a long time. Ever since I was a kid--"

She stops mid-sentence. "Ever since I was younger." she corrects.

{Oh yeah... 'cause human terms aren’t right...}

"They learned to paint just so they could hang that portrait of him in our house. And they… they celebrated his birthday. We have that in common, actually, me and him. We share one."

"Whoa." I breathe.

I am about to ask her when it is, but she tells me herself. "May 19th. That's when it is. Malcolm's was May 19th… um."

A few frustrated ngahhhhs later, she huffs, "Crap Dewey when is 111X again in human years?"

"It's 1925."

"Yeah! That's it!" Undyne returns a little to her former self. "1925. I was born, hmmm… fifty years after that--"

"Whaaaat!?"

A chair being knocked to the floor and…

"{[Ghghghghgh…]}"" and more gurgling noises.

Scaly arms wrapping around my body and a rough, amused laugh in my ear. "Oh come on! It's great you think I'm younger than that and all but… seriously! That's not thaaaat old--"

"Uh…" I can't help but interject.

"I think she's not buying it 'cause for humans if you were born in 1997 being born in 1975 is kinda old." Murry emphasizes as Undyne releases her grip. "Remember, she's eighteen..."

"If you say so."

In a more firm voice, she says, "You know punk? If you knew how old most of us were you wouldn't be able to talk to us normally anymore. We're just ancient on human timescales. On monster standards, I'm... I've just entered my youth.”

[She’s like, using a magic spear to point at Gerson, but she’s holding it farther away from us than usual. Good.] Chara mentally sighs in relief.

“I mean look—think about Gerson! He was alive when Newton published Principa Mathematica for Christ's sake--"

"{Heh?}"

"Undyne?" Gerson interrupts. "Don't just use those expressions around her just because it is likely she knows who he is. Barring that, it doesn't make much sense for you to do so. After all, when your parents weren't invoking Tesla, they were invoking Malcolm! Or other figures of his religious bent besides!"

"Yeah you're right old man. It's just: I did it 'cause I've heard Pauline say it you know? So she's not uncomfortable--"

She suddenly stops speaking, seizing the front of my shirt and hauling me out of my seat so I face her. "Are you uncomfortable?" she… somehow manages to sound both concerned and aggressive at the same time.

"Uh no..." I hurriedly reply, both touched and freaked out by her sudden burst of… of affection.

She settles me back in my seat more slowly and takes a few steps back toward her chair, on the left side of the table across from me.

"Sorry about that. It's just… monsters get really emotional about that stuff."

Undyne sounding serious again. "Gerson would know. When he started telling everyone about collecting religious texts,"

Everyone guffaws. "Everyone threw a fit! Monsters all across the spectrum decried me! They said, 'Gerson! You're trying to brainwash us with human religion?' 'Humans don't even acknowledge us in their sacred texts!' 'If God created man in his own image, then where does that put us, eh?' Etc, etc."

"{[That's true…]}"

"Well in any case," the old… tortoise…? continues, "that's not what we're here to discuss isn't it!? We're--"

"{[AHHHHHH!]}"

"Gneh heh heh! I, Papyrus Wingdings Gaster, have returned with the Demonstration Crate of Stuff!"

"{[Eh!]}"

"I hope we have not interrupted anything important." Papyrus near-shouts as he walks closer, brushing my left arm as he stops next to me. "And even if we have, I am afraid we must cut it short, because we are about to make your head explode with science!"

A whooping sound from behind me, which I soon figure out is Will.

"And blow our eardrums out!" Murry snarks before I have the chance as the swish of glass bowls fills the air, my bowl skidding past my hands toward Papyrus’s voice… followed by a crashing sound in front of me in my bowl’s place.

"BEHOLD!"

Everyone stops what they're doing to give Papyrus what he wants. Chara even ooohs and aaahs a couple times. {What are we looking at?}

"Oh th-th-thank Tesla." Alphys breathes, her claws brushing my right shoulder as she pulls out a chair for herself. "I w-w-w-was holding the Demonstration Crate of Stuff from below a-a-a-and…"

She shudders… and I can't hold back a giggle. It just sounds… very very weird. "I'm never doing that again!"

"Hey: better the Demonstration Crate of Stuff fall on you than Will."

"SAAAAAAANS!"

"{[Oooooh woooooow…]}" Murry, Will, Chara, and I follow up on Sans's snark as everyone continues to bustle around us.

"In all seriousness though," Annie walks past me and around the table, "this crate's important. It's got all our… our demonstration stuff… in… it…" she trails off awkwardly as Chara snickers. "Gaster made it up a long time ago and he brought it around the Underground to show everyone how magitry worked. And he kept adding stuff as he got feedback so… you're lucky. This has been several decades in the making."

Barely managing to contain his… eagerness… Gaster asks in his soft… squee-worthy voice… "Annie? If I may, before we begin, while you and Sans empty the Demonstration Crate's contents, I was curious…"

As he speaks, he walks over from his place by the door so he sits across from me again. "Pauline? I must formally ask, since Papyrus resolved not to: have we encroached upon anything important?"

I'm about to say no, but instead, I say "Undyne's sooooo oooold!"

{Wait wait wait wait wait what what fuck I didn't--}

[You would've said it anyway I just got you to say it now!]

{That's not how it works!}

[Who says?]

{I do!}

Dewey's trademarked professionalism cracks as he suppresses a laugh. "Yeah… that sounds about right. She was talking about her parents and how she shares her birthday with Malcolm X so…"

Somehow unperturbed by my Chara-induced rudeness, Gaster muses, "Ah. I see. From my observations I have already become acquainted with your… conflicted stance on the issue."

"On what issue?" I clarify as metal clinks near me and… as my skin begins to tingle… and as a coppery taste fills my mouth.

"On the el-Shabaz family's stance on human-monster integration."

Flatly I reply "Oh."

I sigh, remembering Papyrus's… avoidance… of the issue back at Undyne's house... which I suppose is her family's house. "Like, I get it she like, wants monsters to be separate from humans. And she wants to prove that monsters are smart enough to not need human technology--"

"Not just technology." Undyne interrupts. "Ideas too. Like your… your politics. Religions. Morals… That we don't need that stuff. We’re better than that. We still fight and disagree. Just… not on that stuff."

"Uh-huh." I prompt as more chairs scrape away from the table around me.

"I speculated you would have sided with Undyne more fervently. After all, you are aware of Malcolm X's ideology and thus, must sympathize with the el-Shabaz family’s reasons for adopting his principles to an extent. Especially regarding self-defense."

"A little. I don't know… just…"

I sigh, unsure of how to put what I want to say into words. {I hate choosing sides.}

[I think--no. I know they can tell that. They're empathetic enough for that.]

After a few seconds of silence, Sans tentatively asks, "Heya dad. I know we have lots to say on this issue. I… I’m real tempted to go at it again, like we used to. ‘Cause it’s been a long time since we all talked ‘bout this but… that’s not what we’re here for.

“You ready? We got all the stuff out. Will sit next to Pauline where Paps is so you guys can both see--"

"SAAAAAANS!"

{Woooow Murry's like another Papyrus thooooough…?}

[Yep!] Chara exclaims… fondly.

Quickly he backpedals”Kid I’m sorry I can’t—“

"Ehh.” I verbally shrug. “I mean I say that I watch YouTube 'cause it's weird to say that I listened to YouTube so…"

After Will settles in on my left side, and Papyrus moves so he sits next to Gaster, we wait another couple seconds. The anticipation and the tension kill me.

"Well? The floor's all yours. You got this dad. I mean: this is why ya wrote the Unified Theory papers. To guide a human through our… our magitronic development. Right? You've been preppin' for this for… for decades. Centuries even. And ya chose a smart human. Ya got this."

"And I have already talked you up to her!" Papyrus adds. "I have been doing so ever since we met in Snowdin! Everyone has. You must have seen that!"

With his sons' words of encouragement, Gaster slowly rises from his seat. He rubs his hands together, producing a variety of clicking sounds. I'm caught off guard by it for only a second before I remind myself that he's a skeleton…

"Indeed. I have devoted my life to this moment. I urge both of you, but in particular, you, Pauline, to not feel obligated to permit me to ramble. Interrupt me if you are in need of clarification. You must have realized by now; I am rather passionate regarding this subject. And like Alphys I tend to lose myself when discussing my work."

"Okay."

"{I mean I do the same about Smash so...}"

"Good." Gaster seems to be reassuring himself. "Now, I must inquire into your knowledge of electricity, and of magic."

Play until the next note:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UDhQ8DarZHQ

... ... ... "So the magic goes there?" I ask, Will bouncing up and down in his seat eagerly.

"Yes." Gaster confirms. "I know now from my time in the Void that the Core's primary column of magic originates at the bottom, face, of the Barrier, miles below our feet. Essentially, the magic comprising the Barrier has seeped out into the environment. It permeates the air you breathe. The ground you stand on. The natural resources present within the Underground. And with time, it eventually filters down through the ground and returns to this location.

"Each substance possesses a proclivity toward containing certain forms of magic in certain amounts, but in general, the less dense an object, the greater its capacity to... to conduct magic. Magic may travel through it with greater ease.

“But the more dense a substance, the greater the amount of magic can be stored within it, in a more stable form, to be interfaced with later."

"So that's how our light bulbs work yo!" Will observes from beside me. "The magic burns up the insides and makes light ‘cause it’s not that dense. But the outside of the light bulb is more magically dense, so it stops it from coming out!"

"Yeah!" If Alphys didn't seem animated when discussing science before, she does now. "Each form of magic interacts with inanimate objects in a different way, and reacts with physical processes differently. This only applies after you account for the density of the substance, obviously.

"Like how orange magic makes transferring energy faster! That's how we get it to everyone's homes so quickly! And how magic rises toward where we can use it. But it works best in hotter environments. That's why the CORE is in Hotland, so deep underground. And it has to keep moving all the time, or it doesn’t work.

"And light blue magic slows physical and magical processes. That's why we used it when we experimentally proved the existence of determination, because it reacts when exposed to enough outside stimuli, but only then.

"And blue magic smooths out most physical processes, on macroscopic scales. Like... like industrial processes. We use magic to make machinery run more smoothly, but in a more controlled way than orange magic. It’s hard to cast and control, but when you do it’s really something!"

Matching his father's eagerness, Papyrus makes clear, "And yellow magic is our equivalent to electricity! We found that yellow magic interacts with a wide variety of densities and masses of objects, and that it became especially powerful when channeled through wires! Yellow magic is conducted through wires in electricity's stead!"

"{[Whoa...!]}"

“{It all makes sense!}”

"And yellow magic is most effective when cast and contained in more dense things," Dewey explains from Gaster's left. "Like more heavy elements in the periodic table. And I don't mean stuff like uranium. I mean... hmm. Almost all the elements. Cilicon and above basically."

"How do you get the yellow magic to go through the wires?" I ask.

A sudden… stony… silence.

{Was it something I said?}

"How much do you know about psychology?" Dewey asks out of the blue.

{Wait what--}

I begin to reply, only for Murry to interject, "And knowing about Freud doesn't count."

{[Ugh...]}

I rack my brain. "Uh... like what do you wanna know?"

"Does nature versus nurture mean anything to you?" Dewey asks.

"I think so."

"Where'd you hear about it from?"

"Does it matter--"

"Yes." everyone at the table responds in unison... in harsh tones.

{Must... not... imagine... Freud...}

[You don't even know what he looks like!]

{He has a mustache and smokes a pipe and stuff!}

[Oh. Interesting.]

{Chaaaraaa!}

"From Magic: the Gathering. It's a card game. The developers like, equated some real-world concepts with certain colors of magic. And blue magic’s associated with intelligence. And nurture, I guess."

"And nature's green." Papyrus pipes up, and I'm surprised. "You remember me talking about Magic?"

"Yes! In fact, I have devoted my spare time to learn the ideology behind the game. Because if a game is named Magic, it is our duty as monsters to learn it and share that knowledge with others! Although it is impractical to do so among one gathering of monsters. I suppose the developers assumed we had the resources--"

{[…]}

"Uh--" I'm more than taken aback by his logic.

{[I guess...?]}

"What my bro means," Sans tries to, amend, "is that we learned the game designers personified each color of magic. Each of ‘em’s associated with certain personality traits. Certain philosophies. Certain perspectives on..."

Sans chuckles, sadly, and I'm caught off guard by it. "Well I guess I can't call it human nature can I?"

Everyone says in unison, "Yeah..."

“{[Oh.]}”

"But why are we talking about this?" I try to steer us back to our original train of thought.

Dewey answers, "Well it's interesting how humans have created a... facsimile... of how magic functions in a game form. And I know it's not the first time. The point is over time we realized that concepts are coded to each color of magic like in this game. And that those concepts they…

“The humans who sealed us underground…”

His struggle to articulate his observations, observations obvious to him as a monster, resonates with me. “They’re programmed into each color.”

“Dewey you did great. It’s not perfect, but it’s a good way to put it.” Annie soothes him. “I think I can extend your metaphor.

“Remember how green’s kindness?”

“Yeah…?”

“Well whoever cast that kind of magic thought the color green meant healing. That it meant, conventionally-motherly instincts. That it thought protecting others."

"David’s shields." I recall, from Alphys’s accounts in the True Lab.

"Mm-hmm." Dewey seems a little more than encouraged by my observation. "And well... those humans wanted to protect everyone from us so..."

I don't have to verbally acknowledge what he's said. They can feel my understanding.

"And purple magic's similar." Murry's much less upbeat now. "Perseverance implies sticking to your guns. No matter how long it takes you to do something. And I guess whoever cast the purple magic in the Barrier thought that meant staying on one path. 'Cause purple magic manifests as threads, going in one direction."

"Purple magic’s usefulness derives from its hastening of motion in a single direction," Gaster clarifies. "It is rather flexible, interacting favorably with a wide spectrum of materials. But it cannot function when travel in non-linear paths is required."

"Yo that's how batteries work!" Will steals my observation out of my mouth. "You induce magic in the parts and construct the battery so the yellow magic goes--"

The knocking of... metal... plastic... against wood and... a chair falling down. {What was that?}

[Uh... Gaster pulled Will over the table into his lap and he's hugging him really tight right now...? And Will's... making weird faces.]

Chara snickers. [Oh man I wish you could see his face he's sooo confused... And I am too.]

Considering Will's loud, insistent, muffled grunting, I'm unsure of whether to "Awww" or shudder. I mentally do both in quick succession. [Gaster calm doooown!]

"Precisely!" Gaster's out of breath, and for once, I don't question it. "Yes yes!"

I can feel Gaster's wide, wide grin in his magic flowing through the room. Chara still tells me about the open eagerness on his skull anyway. It’s like the one time I plugged in the rice cooker at home while my hands were slightly wet, because a shock runs through my body. However, I feel no pain, instead sharing in Gaster’s excitement. It’s his, field of knowing, intersecting with mine.

"Over the first several decades, if not the first century, of the Inertia Society's existence, our members studied magic's properties. Like human scientists testing the conductive, insulating, and with time, semiconductive propperties of a myriad of substances. How to store magic. It was inevitable my colleagues turn their energies toward how to harness it to perform useful work."

"Em; dad?" Papyrus speaks up, evidently hesitant to interrupt his father's excitement, "why aren't you calling magic ether yet? Surely it won't confuse the human--"

"{Heh?}"

[Awwww Gaster you and Papy are so cute together they're like--awww the three Gasters are all hugging! And before you ask Sans is sitting between Dewey and Gaster so they’re in a row across from us.]

{[Awww!]}

"I was about to explain that.

"Ether and magic are one in the same. Ether merely refers to magic when not harnessed by a system, manufactured or natural. Ambient magic in the air, emitted by the Barrier; that is called ether. Ether was a term initially appropriated by physicists to describe the propagation of light and sound, from one place to another. It is also an Aristotelian classical element, though he--"

"oDamn it by Tesla!"

{I forgot Gerson was here.}

[Same...]

"Please give Pauline time to breathe! You've gone from zero to a hundred in a second!”

In a less exasperated tone, he says, “She's not as good at picking up new information as you, Wingdings. She may have studied scholarly work, but she hasn't done it nearly as long as you have. You have all the time in the world to enact what you wrote in the Unified Theory papers."

The Royal Scientist quietly hums in reply. "I understand, Webber. I just... I am so eager to share the contents of the Demonstration Crate with her."

A... relieved... yelp from Will... or at least that's what it sounds like because he sounds less muffled. Gaster's hands reach across the table, gently enveloping mine. I sense his weight shifting so he leans forward in his seat, hands pressing on mine firmly. He asks, closer to my height, "Am I correct in my assumption? Do you understand ether's role in magical transmission? And I implore you, to tell us honestly. We cannot inform you properly if you feign complete understanding."

"Uh, I guess." I slowly answer. "The ether in the air is the medium the real magic goes through. Or something. Well it has to not go through it but…"

Gaster lets go of me. "That will suffice."

"I reckon," Gerson muses, "that you should get out some of those batteries right now! She'll iron out all the kinks herself. You just need to give her the tools she needs to learn through experience."

He old man laughs, and Chara and I suppress giggles. "After all, she followed your train of thought about quintessence! And she's taken physiology! Diffusion metaphors are well within her knowledge."

A little, nervously, Gaster replies, "If you insist. Annie? Remove all the orange modules from the Demonstration Crate."

"Yo!"

{Thaaaaaat's where he got it from...}

[Yep!]

"Sans? Remove the light blue ones."

"Yeh."

"Papyrus? Extract the wires from their casings."

"Gneh heh heh! Of course!"

"Alphys? Zero the yellow modules’ magical capacities." 

"Ok-k-k-kay Gaster. R-r-right away."

"And Undyne?"

"Hey G!?"

{Ugh... she didn't just call him that...}

[Oh. She did...]

"Ensure that our green modules are sufficiently induced. While taking the proper safety precautions into consideration, of course. If necessary, replenish their stores of green magic."

"You can count on me!"

"I will lead you aside while they prepare the demonstration," Gaster tells me as he stands from his seat... Will grunting and dropping to the ground as he untangles himself from Gaster's lap. Apparently, during our conversation, Gaster had been holding him there for longer than Will’s hug.

"You could've warned me about the reverse tackle hug yo!" Will seems ruffled... but just a little.

A soft laugh from Gaster as Chara and I... and from the sounds they're making, everyone else... tries not to squee over the cuteness. "I am sorry. I wished to... you... you must know, what I have told Gerson still stands. You never witnessed this demonstration firsthand. Thus, you and the human are approaching this subject on equal terms in that respect."

A large bony hand on my head. "This should take approximately ten minutes to complete. I would do it myself but..."

A short, nervous chuckle... and more of Chara and I suppressing squees. "You must know how excited I am. I would be unable to properly configure the magitry involved! My ambient magic within my field of knowing would cause the magitry around us to overheat!"

"Yeah I feel it." I affirm as Gaster and I walk over to the left side of the room so we stand against one wall.

"You're really feeling it!"

{Sans’s and Paps’s Shulk impression thoooough...}

[Sans's has gotten better.]

{Yeah.}

"Soon, you will understand why I so firmly believe that us monsters have constructed a quality of life of a higher callibre than that possessed by humans on the surface, in post-industrial nations."

"What ya should be askin' is if the kid already sees it."

"Kinda." I admit. "Like you all have smartphones and electricity and stuff."

Gaster's enthusiasm is infectious. "I will demonstrate how we have made our quality of life possible, in hopes that we will have the honor and pleasure of exhibiting the CORE to you. This will take time… several weeks, conservatively. More, considering that I must modify the contents of the Unified Theory Papers to accommodate your, circumstances. Nevertheless…

"You could say," he says more mischievously, "that this notion fills you with determination."

"{[Hell yeah.]}"

... ... ... "Does this make sense: that the orientation of the modules is trivial, for their density determines the magic's path?"

"Yeah. The yellow magic will go right then down then up."

"And the light blue magic in the exterior shell of the wires will contain it yo."

"Yes." Gaster urget us onward as I slowly walk along the side of the table, hands trailing along its surface.

"And the magic will jump to the rod 'cause the rod's the nearest conductor of yellow magic." I continue to summarize as my fingers lightly brush the wires laid along the tabletop.

"And the magic will pass through the ether without diseminating out into the environment because...?" Annie presses us.

{I don't feel like I'm in school at all...}

Chara laughs long and high and hard. [Dude? You wish your science classes were like this!]

"Because the purple magic determines where it goes. And there’s purple magic at the end of the table and at the tip of the rod so..."

As I reach the end of the table, a pair of claws grips my shoulders from behind. I jerk in their grip a little. "And," Annie asks in my ear, "what will happen when the yellow magic traverses through the ether into the rod?"

"It will--"

"Will!" she reprimands her brother, her voice not directly sounding in my right ear anymore. It echoes off to the left now. "Let her do this! You understand it; you probably got it a long time ago.”

She emphasizes, “But she has to get it. It’s important she constructs the magitry setup in her head herself. She has to know how it feels to understand it. So she wants to learn more. So she knows what she says matters."

Loosening her grip on my shoulders, Annie repeats, turning back to me, "So what happens when the yellow magic enters the rod?"

"The inside filament’ll light up and burn away ‘cause too much magic’s going through it. And the outside of the rod contains it 'cause it's more dense."

"So when the yellow magic eats through it we…?"

Sensing we're near the end of my, part lesson part interrogation, I answer, "You take off the top and get a new one--"

"EXCELLENT! SIMPLY EXCELLENT!"

{[Holy shit!]}

Annie being shoved aside with a yelp... and a giggle? as my legs are swept out from under me, and I fly through the air to the right.

After a fraction of a second, I land on my feet with a thud, my back against a wall. Gaster's delighted laugh sounds from... from not so far above me, as a sleeve brushes my right arm, bony fingers... phalanges... gripping it so tight I'm afraid of it breaking. All the while, Annie continues to giggle from several feet away.

"You have no reason to fear; I am here. I have caught you. I..."

Instantly, Gaster shifts from almost manic excitement to shyness. "I... I should not have cast my magic in such a reckless manner. I could have... you deserved…" he trails off.

"Awww. Wingdings?" Murry reassures him as he walks toward our new position. "She's okay!Come on. You're showing her your life's work! You've gotta be happy."

“Here’s what I have to say on this." Dewey teases. "It's okay to cry. You’re happy. Tears of joy are good. But save the real tears for the CORE. Cry as much as you want then."

After a moment of Gaster's soft, slowly-deepening breathing, he replies, "Yes. You, you are correct.”

He relinquishes his hold on me. As the slightly rough fabric of his sleeve and… presumed lab coat… contacts my skin, I hear the clatter of bones against the floor and his weight shift downward.

Gaster has properly knelt down to my height beside me.

“I... I cannot reiterate this enough: I am more than glad I chose you." he repeats more quietly in my right ear. “We have delayed too long.”

Leaning to the right slightly for a second, he sets a chest-height, wrist-diameter rod in my hands. I hold it tightly in both hands, just below the module containing the purple magic on the top. After a few moments, Gaster asks calmly, "Shall we begin?"

"Sure."

"Undyne? Remove the green modules."

"Yes Sir!" she calls out from across the room.

A couple soft clicking sounds later...

A humming sensation shakes my bones. The scent of ozone, like what I smelled outside, fills my lungs, and a metallic taste, like earlier, when everyone was opening the Crate, plays on my tongue. The rod becomes warm--

No.

That's not warmth.

That's contact with magic.

Not in an attack. Not in a bullet or a Gaster blaster. In a machine.

"Combining different forms of magic," Dewey explains, "is the basis for all our magitronic devices. Our computers are powered both by the ether they are suspended in, and the monster holding them. We use monsters' ethergraphs to configure a computer's power supply, so as their stats increase, their computer and other magitronics must be updated to reflect this reality. As long as a device is exposed to air, it charges. In theory, we never need to plug them in."

"Whoa!" Will and I gasp as the warmth of yellow magic fades from the rod.

"I want to ask your permission to let us configure your devices," Annie walks closer, laying a claw on my left shoulder.

In wonder, she notes, "Who knows? Your determination could give you even less of a reason to plug your stuff in."

"That sounds awesome!" I can't properly express how impressed I am in words.

"That’s settled then." she affirms. "Then, can you give us your BrailleNote and iPhone?"

I fish my phone out of my bag. "The BrailleNote's in my room."

Gaster stands to his full height and adjusts our hands and arms so I hold onto his left wrist. "Well, in the meantime, Alphys? I recall that you have some news?"

"Yeah! It's that we... uh... found a way to download JAWS onto our computers--"

"{Whaaat!?}"

It's Alphys's turn to laugh in delight. "Exactly! We were surprised too, but we installed it on Sans's laptop! So-"

"Come on Alphy! You can see how happy Pauline is!" Undyne butts in. "Let's get over to Sans's room and try it out! Then she'll never have to use that dinky little phone again!"

"My phone’s not dinky! I could’ve had a larger phone but I couldn’t hold it!" Again, Undyne's aggressive way of ensuring my well-being is... disconcerting...

Stop the music.

... ... ... "NO! I refuse to let you sit on his bed. SANS! THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE!"

"Oh come on Bro. It could be worse. At least she can sit on my bed."

"{[Ooooh!}]" the Curies, Chara and I hoot as Papyrus sets a laptop in front of me.

"Unplug this module--" he guides my fingers to a block sticking out from the left edge, "and stick it here--" he sets the block in my hand and guides it to an identical slot on the same side, slightly closer to me.

"It is taking an awfully long time to boot up," Gaster observes, settling down beside me. "Sans? How... how much has your magic changed while I have been away? Because... because from what I remember, the modules we have in place should have reacted to your field of knowing by now.”

“I thought you knew—“

“Remember? I refused to examine your field of knowing, so your stats--oh no!"

Gaster's elbow bumps me as his hand shoots out, grabbing the laptop. I tentatively ask, “It smells like something’s burning…”

"Ehm, as a matter of fact yes." Papyrus clarifies from behind me. "Sans's laptop has... it is burning. Burning and melting. But you have no need to worry, for it cannot spread beyond his laptop and poses no danger to you! You must use Alphys's laptop to use JAWS instead, however."

"Your magic has magnified in strength greatly… it seems much stronger than I remember from before." Gaster muses. "Maybe my time in the Void has clouded my memory."

"Sounds about right." Sans agrees. "Hey: how 'bout you Undyne and the Curies go give JAWS a test run on Alphys's computer? This’ll take time."

"What's JAWS yo?"

I forgot will came along with us. "That's a movie right?"

"Uh... oh yeah..." I sheepishly recall. "Yeah it does but it stands for Job Access With Speech. It talks when I use the computer and it reads the text on the screen."

"Hey maybe you can go read Alphys's fanfiction!" Undyne stomps over, seizing the back of my shirt... only to begin shouting indignantly. "What the hell’s wrong with you! PUT ME DOWN!"

"I'll get ya outa here so ya don't burn yourself on the crap on the floor--"

The familiar grip of blue magic on my body, making me rise into the air a couple feet. "I'll get ya out the door. Then grab onto Undyne's arm when I set ya down. Okay?"

"Sure." I consent, my body turning around, Undyne grumbling a few feet away, presumably also in midair. After a few seconds, and my arms and legs bumping into walls and furniture, I land on my feet outside the door, Undyne's strong hand gripping one of my arms. "Come on punk. Let's give the Gasters some breathing room."

Snickering noises from around me. "Oh my God Undyne!" Papyrus indignantly shouts from behind us, while the Curies and Chara all snicker quietly. “Noooo!”

"I'm so proud."

"SAAANS!"

"Let's go before I'm contaminated by their puns!"

She pulls me down the hall, my shoes scraping against the floor... at least until my shoes tug off my feet, Chara yelling in protest for me to tell Undyne to go back for them..., to no avail…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here are some resources about the color pie of Magic: the Gathering. I've linked the five most recent articles explaining the philosophies of the five colors of magic, called mana. They don't perfectly align with Undertale's colors of magic, but that doesn't matter. The characters use it as an analogy, one that's... actually very important for the explanations of soulology from now on. The dichotomy of nature versus nurture is mentioned in these articles.
> 
> http://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/making-magic/great-white-way-revisited-2015-07-13
> 
> http://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/making-magic/true-blue-revisited-2015-07-20
> 
> http://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/making-magic/black-revisited-2015-07-27
> 
> http://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/making-magic/seeing-red-revisited-2015-08-03
> 
> http://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/making-magic/its-not-easy-being-green-revisited-2015-08-10
> 
> I know the characteristics underpinning each color of magic in this timeline are vague, but they're shaped by human experiences. They'd be vague by nature. This fact is very very important to keep in mind for later chapters.
> 
> Also, here's the music for this chapter, from the Glitchtale OST!
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UDhQ8DarZHQ


	32. Chapter 32

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finally!
> 
> I've mustered the motivation to update, after more than a month of doing an Undertale audio drama for school...
> 
> It's a loooong story... if anyone wants to know, just ask in the comments or on Twitter @VisiontaleSans .
> 
> If you're unfamiliar with how circuitry is constructed, and or the background of the video game ChronoTrigger, read the first part of the endnotes, before the asterisks. Otherwise, ignore them. If you want some background on the pacing of the story from now on, read the part of the endnotes after the asterisks. Otherwise, ignore that.

32

As the days and weeks pass, I grow more and more accustomed to how the monsters conduct business, talk to their peers, learn, work, and have fun. Gaster, Annie, and Murry devote most of their time to tutoring me, guiding me through monsters’ history, technological and social. That, and some very important human history.

“Our year does not correspond to your Gregorian calendar,” Gaster explains as we walk through the lab. Every couple minutes, we stop, Gaster guiding my hands to a braille sign and asking whether it’s been properly made. “We utilize it for the sake of convenience, to at least synchronize somewhat with the surface. After all, units of time derived around the movement of the Sun and stars is… hollow for us. Insulting, even.”

“Hmm.” I grasp his meaning immediately. “Then how do you keep time and stuff?”

“We use an identical hour-minute-second system. However, our months have seven weeks. And there are seven months in a year. 343 days in total.”

As we turn a corner, I ask, “So your year’s shorter than ours.”

“Yes and no,” Gaster corrects as we stop partway down the hall. “There are twenty-two days in the year we, ignore. That we, skip over. That we, do not count regarding business or school days. It is a… period of observance… to put simply. Each monster spends it differently. I chose to devote that time to my sons and my colleagues.”

The rap of metal on metal, as the door clicks open, the now-familiar scent of ozone, produced from what I know now is yellow and light blue magic, wafting out for a moment. We step inside, taking our seats at a lab table.

“However, in my absence, this period has acquired… new meaning… for monsterkind. It is near the end of 201X… and it will be the first time I observe this holiday after the change.”

{Why’s Gaster so… sad?}

Chara doesn’t answer.

“What is it?” I ask, reaching forward and touching the rows of modules arrayed in front of me. I begin assembling them in what everyone calls the “Core Circuit,” a configuration used in essentially all magitronics. Nearly all magitronic exhibitions begin by creating as many Core Circuits as necessary, the proportion of each color of module and the length of wires stringing them together changing depending on the power required.

Gaster doesn’t answer. He doesn’t have to, for I can sense his magic ebbing next to me. By now, I can even quantify that decrease: his attack and defense both drop from 71 a piece to around 65 or 66, and as we continue to sit in silence, they settle around 60. I don’t press him.

“Well,” Gaster clears his throat, “you must be wondering why I brought you here again. For you must have noticed; we have traversed most of the lab over the past two months.”

“Yeah the ether in here’s all… yellow and stuff.”

“Yes. I have brought you here again because we are on the verge of teaching you an immensely important concept. And I wished to test how much you remember from the past six odd weeks.”

I groan, but not before Gaster chuckles and lays an arm on my shoulders reassuringly. “No no I do not mean to test you in the academic sense. I will not dock points from you just because your wires are not completely enclosed, and your purple modules aligned perfectly.”

I laugh… but still groan. “I can’t believe Murry put that on a Cards Against Humanity card!”

“Annie has always chided him on his… less than immaculate magitry work…

But, that is beside the point.

“Your first task is to construct a circuit utilizing 10 degrees of yellow magic, powering as many 1-impact filaments as you can, without modifying the configured green and light blue modules. I do not care how you do it.

“This is a somewhat more open-ended iteration of what you and my sons completed several days ago. You will burn through some wires but, you should be able to do it with some to spare.

“Good luck. And may the excitement of learning the next concept fill you with determination.”

“Okay.”

… … … {Well at least I kinda remember my junior year Physics Honors class ‘cause doing this in parallel’s working out nicely.}

[Meaning you remembered what Ohms were when Annie mentioned them--]

{Hey the Ohm sounds funny how could I forget it!?}

[I guess. But like separate some of the wires though they’re all tangled and stuff and they’re thin so--]

{Okay okay I got it.}

… … … [If you’re wondering where that one damn filament went, it’s like, a few inches to your right—there it is.]

Cue an exasperated groan…

… … … {This should be it--}

[Yeah: It’s the same as regular electric circuits in parallel, but after factoring in the density of the wires—]

{So it’s actually seven 1-impact filaments being lit, not five.}

[Yeah! I think. Well what are you waiting for plug in the things!]

I expose the battery to air, laying a hand on it, ensuring that it reacts properly with the ether around us. I have already strung the wires through the proper light blue and green modules, so all that is left to do is connect the wires to the battery.

When I’m finished, I touch the filaments cautiously, waiting for the seven of them to become warm. It only takes a few seconds for them to rise above room temperature. “{[Yaaaaas!]}”

“Yes indeed!” Gaster joins in my enthusiasm. “You remember the proper density modifiers now. And you can build a magitry circuit without burning through wires.

“But that is not what I brought you here for…”

“What is it then?”

Gaster takes my hand so we disconnect the battery from the wires together. “Now, what I want you to do is wrap the wires around your fingers—“

“Whaaat?”

“Your work affirmed for you how the density of materials affects a circuit’s conductive ability. That, and the degrees of magic stored in its power source.”

“So?”

“While you wrap the wires around your fingers, I will connect increasingly more filaments to the ends of the wires. And will do so until the power source has been expended—“

“But—“ I emphasize “-- I’m being hooked up to the wires.”

“Precisely.”

“So you’re using my determination to power the circuit?”

“Precisely.”

“But I keep making it so it won’t run out.”

“This is the point I wish to make.

“Until now, we have not endeavored to show you why determination defies ethermetrical law. And I know from my time in the Void, that you’ve experienced determination’s anomalous properties in the field.

“You will know why determination is so powerful. Because I will not tell you how many filaments I am connecting to the wires.

“We will start with seven, and I will alert you when to disconnect yourself. Disconnect them at any time if you are feeling even the slightest bit of discomfort.” He insists.

“Mm-hmm.”

[You don’t seem all that surprised by this…]

{I mean at least I know what dT feels like and I built this circuit so…}

“Are you ready?”

“Yes.”

I don’t hesitate as I wrap the seven wires around my fingers and wrist. They’ve barely touched my skin before… before…

Intense light and heat eminate from… somewhere nearby, in front of me. Gaster races to connect enough filaments, from the constant clinking of magic-infused glass on itself nearby. Other than the slight warmth of the wires on my skin, I don’t feel any different. Curiously, I sit and wait for more filaments to be connected to the—

“STOP!”

The wires rip from my grip, and the familiar smell of burning magic-infused material fills the air. “What happened!?” I ask in concern as Gaster gathers up the filaments.

“It is just…” he seems slightly out of breath, “your determination… I knew you possessed a considerable amount of it but…

“Your stats… when we last checked them… your forty-three HP… your nineteen attack… your eighteen defense… it doesn’t reflect…”

“Reflect what?” I repeat, but he keeps talking, like I’m not even there.

“What I have seen… that result is only possible if…”

[He shook his skull.]

“No.

“It cannot be…”

He eventually stops talking on his own. I sense his stats rising again to just below 70. His chair scrapes out as he positions my hand on his wrist. As we leave the room again, he muses, “Now I have a more concrete sense of how to proceed from here.

“These next several experiments will be very… very… very interesting…”

… … … “Yeah: these modules are hollow. When you hold them, they’ll fill with determination. Then you can use them as a power source.” Annie finishes as she hands me several tiny composite-material cubes. “They’ll be several times more powerful than yellow magic. And Gaster’s real hyped about connecting them to your devices. To all our devices.”

I sip my drink, grasping the modules, each half the size of my thumbnail, in my free hand. “What are you guys gonna use these for?”

“Experiments with CAD&CAD yo!” Will butts in from across the table. “My teacher thinks that if you put DT modules in magitronics, it’ll make consumer-level 3D printers possible! Monsters could make really cool stuff, and all with just a thought! And since the DT would be slowly converted into the other forms of magic like what Simon and Tailor and Steven and the others did, it wouldn’t hurt them.”

Realizing the enormity of Will’s statement, I place the modules on the table again. “Oh my God that’s true! Could you use determination to make computers access the human Internet?”

“If someone knew what they wanted to access I guess…” Annie trails off. “Maybe but…

“DT’s… a weird experience. In the Void I… I felt disconnected from time and space. I didn’t have a physical body; my soul was free to do whatever I could think of.

“I don’t know if monsters… not like that… could handle that power. A monster using determination would take… a lot of discipline.”

“But you still didn’t answer Pauline’s question for real though…” Will… gently prods his sister away from the subject.

It takes some time for her to answer.

She sighs. “It’s… it’s for an experiment we’re gonna do.

“It’s ‘cause… it’s to prepare you for… the inevitable.

“’Cause we’re beginning the primary physical component of the Unified Theory Papers. Our plan to break the Barrier without taking any more lives. I wanted to ask you if we could siphon off your determination while you sleep, and while you’re idle. We’ll be installing those modules in new CAD&CAD machines, utilizing all the 3D printer technology humans have developed on the surface.

Gaster thinks that with the help of your technology, we’ll be… we’ll be able to…”

“What’s wrong?”

Annie takes several breaths before continuing. The purple magic surrounding her tugs on me slightly, pulling my chair toward her.

“We’re creating artificial human souls.

“No bodies. Just souls. And we’ll be using your determination to power the CAD&CAD machines we’ll be using. Hopefully, it’ll work, so… so we’ll be able to break the Barrier when we’re ready. And who knows? Maybe, we’ll be able to create new bodies for the six souls we already have so they can be brought back.”

I respond quickly. “It makes sense… and it’s not like you’re taking samples from me—“

The Moores laugh in unison. “Well we kind of are yo…” Will points out. “But at least we’re asking you first. ‘Cause lots of humans don’t do that.”

“Yaye human cloning!”

Annie touches my hands, turning them palms-up. “In a way yeah. Carry these modules with you all day when you’re walking around. And we have tubs of them we’ll be putting in your room, and all the rooms you go to a lot. They’ll absorb determination naturally. We’ll collect them when they’re full.”

I can’t help but fixate on Annie’s reaction to me pointing out that her and the Inertia Society are carrying out human cloning experiments.

Meaning that she didn’t react at all.

Chara and I can’t help but react in the same way.

“When you take a shower and change clothes put these modules down in your room in any of the tubs. We’ll take care of it after that.”

“Thanks for telling me this.

“No problem.”

She walks around the table, and I extend my new cane to its full length. “it’s just in the nick of time too, ‘cause I heard that Dewey had something planned. ‘Cause it’s… at’s a holiday on the surface right now. But him and Gerson don’t know whether you celebrate it or not. And they didn’t want to ask Gaster ‘cause that’s weird… and besides: workplaces can’t ask about your religion so… we’ve gotta go over to his room.”

… … … “No way…”

“You really think we wouldn’t know it was Christmas?” Murry snarks back at me as I scoot closer to him on his bed. “I mean, we’ve been planning this forever! We thought this would be fun for you and Will. ‘Cause like, Will’s never gamed before—“

In disbelief, I gasp “Noooo…!”

[Will come on don’t blush… Pauline doesn’t know you’re embarrassed yet…]

Will laughs sheepishly. “It’s true yo… I’ve never even touched a gaming system before. I still barely remember which people made which consoles…”

“Duuuude its not as bad as me I keep forgetting the Nintendo 64 is a thing…”

Murry explains, “But yeah: Sans dug this out of storage and thought you’d like it. He’d be here to present it to you himself but he’s… preppin’ something for later.”

[Put your hands out.]

I do as Chara says, and I begin touching a… a controller?

“What… what is this?” I ask… only for everyone to gasp… but chara gasps the loudest. Simultaneously, Annie and Chara ask, “[You… you don’t know what that is?]”

“{Noooo…? Should I?}”

[Of course you should! That’s a SNES controller! It was the first controller with the X, Y, L, and R buttons on it!]

I’ve never heard Chara… nerd out… about… anything… so insistently before…

“I guess…” Annie succeeds somewhat in holding back her surprise. “I mean, you’ve technically held a SNES-like controller… which is the Gamecube controller. The way the bottom is shaped so it fits your palms and fingers… that’s been done on almost every controller after it. That’s why people loooove the Gamecube controller for playing Smash.”

“Wait: so you guys have a SNES?”

A sharp tinge of orange magic on my face… as Murry leans in close to me… and Chara and I involuntarily shrink back. “What: you thought we’d only have the controller? The SNES is on Dewey’s desk. And Sans even went and found all our games too. There’s only one that we wanna show you though. ‘Cause…”

He chuckles. “I don’t think you’d be able to play F0 or Super Mario World so… there was only a couple options left after that.”

I tense up… then subsequently wonder why I’m so stiff…

Chara’s excited…

Very excited…

{Dude why you so hyped?}

They don’t answer… at least, not until Dewey hands me a DVD-like case and explains, “This game’s called ChronoTrigger. It was released on March 22, 1995 in our timeline. Where you came from, it came out on March 11 in Japan, and five months later in North America.

“We knew you’d heard of it ‘cause Murry told me about Ian, and how he played ChronoTrigger in high school. It’s something you’re comfortable with.”

“And Murry told me about you playing Pokémon yo!” Will’s hyped again. “I’ve been playing Alphys’s emulator for Pokémon Red and… and… and…”

Chara sighs happily. [Oh man… Will’s so happy.]

“It’s soooo coooool!”

“Duuuude!” I affirm as Will begins recounting his experiences.

… … … “But I lost the first rival battle so Edison keeps making fun of me!”

“Wait wait hold up you named your rival Edison?” I can’t help but clarify.

“Edison’s an asshole.” I start as Annie points out. We sit on the floor, the SNES between us. I run my hands over it, marveling how a system so old could still be in tact after more than twenty years. “He’s like, the one who made electricity something you have to pay for. Tesla wanted it to be free…”

“Heya: Annie? Save the Current Wars debates for later. I hope I don’t have to be more direct about it. Unless ya wanna know the alternate outcome—“

“{Ahhhhh!}”

[Every time! Sans why you do this?]

“So you walk in here, interrupting Will’s ranting about Lance being unfair… by making electrical current jokes?” Annie… fumes… I can’t tell if she’s actually flustered or not…

“Yeh. That and…” Sans walks around the room and sits next to me, taking ChronoTrigger from its place on my lap, “Dewey texted me sayin’ he showed you guys this.”

“Yeah.” I turn my head slightly toward him. “Murry told me you found it for me. How did you even get it? ‘Cause like, it would have had to fall down the waterfall in Waterfall completely in tact…”

The atmosphere in the room changes completely.

Everyone’s stats plummet by a few percentage points. After a tense silence, Sans amends, “Yeah: you’re right. It did fall down here. And yeah: you’re right: it would’ve had to fall down without breakin’.”

Wistfully, he says, almost to himself, “I’m still surprised at that. It could’ve shattered. The SNES and the game but…”

“But what?”

“It didn’t. We’ve kept it clean and functioning for two decades. David, Adam, and Kari played it, when they were here, before we preserved their souls. Lots of us have gone through it at least once.”

A clicking sound from nearby. “Come on Curie plug this in. We’ve got a couple hours to kill before Dadster gives his first Fireside Chat in… in years.”

Suppressing giggles, Annie asks, “Which Curie?”

“{[Whauw whauw whaaaaauw…]}”

… … … “Ya have to play with this plugged in. It’s a headphone adaptor. And it’s where the extra sounds are stored. ‘Cause Paps and I… we’ve been reworkin’ them for ya since last month.”

“You guys modded this game for me?”

“Nah: not for you. Kari really liked the music.”

“But… why are you asking me if I want to leave the cat alone?”

“’Cause it affects the ending ya get—“

“Wait what?” Will and I ask in unison.

“Seriously. Ya might not know this, but there’s thirteen endings in the SNES version, each of ‘em bein’ different, depending on your choices. So yeah: what do you two wanna do ‘bout the cat?”

“Uh…”

“Yo this is hard…”

“If we leave it alone that’s probably bad…”

“Is it a stray cat? ‘Cause if it is, we have to find it an owner yo!”

“Truuuue…”

“Let’s walk around and ask anyone if they own it.”

“Good idea Moore.”

… … … “Kid? You’ve gotta come to the lobby of the Lab now. You don’t have to change or anythin’—“

“Nonsense Sans! The human and Will both look like they just rolled out of bed!”

“No we didn’t!”

“I know that. But no one else does. Please! By Tesla, if you’re going to walk out there in pajamas, at least walk out there in pajamas that don’t look like shit—“

“Whoa whoa Paps calm down.”

[Woooow Sans is so surprised and flustered you wouldn’t believe…]

{Uh… I could… Jesus that just happened…}

“I’m serious Sans. This… this is the first time anyone’s seen Pauline ever since… ever since she came here. You’ve kept all the media away from the building for more than two months. You made Reed and Wrighte leave their cameras in a separate room while they came to hang out with her!”

I know…” Sans replies as we walk into my room, and I begin searching for a clean set of clothes. “It’s just… the Unified Theory Papers…”

He sighs. “There’s a ton of confidential stuff goin’ round here. And yeah: Reed and Wrighte are trustworthy but…”

I find the shirt to complete my set of clothes and walk behind my new bookshelf to change. “If you really trust them, then why go through all this trouble then?” Papyrus insists. “They’re our biggest allies in the press. They’d never—“

“They’d never what? They’d never say anythin’ to anyone they shouldn’t? Paps… you know that’s not true. Wrighte’s… real eager ‘bout us… fanatical, almost. It… kinda scares me… how willin’ he is to say somethin’ positive ‘bout us. Us, and Pauline. Just… just think what he’ll say ‘bout this.”

“But he’s had weeks to process that Gaster’s back Sans. He must have calmed down by now. He has to!”

I step out from behind the bookshelf, walking toward the door again, Sans sighing again as we turn left down the hall. “I hope you’re right bro. I hope you’re right.

“’Cause if you’re not… everyone’s gonna get real riled up. Monsters’ll come knocking down our doors, wantin’ to ask us questions. Pauline and Will shouldn’t have to deal with that.”

“Gneh. I know.” Paps agrees as I press the button to summon the longivator. “I’m not objecting to Wrighte covering the Fireside Chat. I just hope he puts a notice in his article begging everyone to act civilly.”

“I know that. I know he will. Wrighte can get crazy, but he’s not that crazy.”

As the longivator bumps along, Sans adds, “But there’ll be monsters who aren’t so cautious. I hope dad’s ready for ‘em. He’s takin’ a huge risk, havin’ the Fireside Chat open to the public like this.”

We step off the longivator, Papyrus in the lead. “I know, Sans. But we… but we have to trust him. It’s been decades since he’s seen everyone, in person. I think he’s doing this so he can… so he can affirm that he’s really here.”

We walk in silence for a minute, my cane occasionally hitting the heels of Papyrus’s boots. Eventually, Sans answers, “Yeh. I get it. Guess ya have a little more faith in monsterkind than I do. I know I’ve said that before but… but it needs to be said again. Still… still it…

“It doesn’t change a damn thing.”

[Stop stop stop stop!]

My legs suddenly stop moving, my arms brushing the back of Papyrus’s armor.

“I’m not lettin’ my guard down for a second. I’m—“

A tingle of yellow magic runs down my arm, and I reach over, feeling the top of a Gaster blaster, hovering at my right elbow. I move it so it floats at my waist, on the left side. It nudges the pocket of my shorts as we walk.

\--gonna give ‘er this. And I’m gonna be right there, where I can see everythin’. I know that room like the back of my metacarpals Paps.”

[Oh no no no no no double eye glow of doooom!]

{Shit shit shit shit shit shit…}

“And if anyone gets near her or Will or Gaster…”

We emerge from the hallway into the lobby, the excited hum of monsters almost drowning out Sans’s words as we walk toward the dais Dewey told me Undyne prepared earlier.

Emphasis on almost.

“They’re. Gonna. Have. A. Bad. Time.”

It only takes a couple minutes… and one impromptu rendition of… of some anime theme song I’ve never heard of that Alphys apparently loves… for the crowd to quiet down. From my seat at the back of the dais, I recall the progression of the program the Curies planned out. The footsteps I hear are Dewey’s, as he walks closer and closer to the edge of the dais, and the crowd below. He clears his throat before he begins.

“H-h-hello everyone. First, I would like to wish you all a merry Giftmas. I am grateful that so many of you have taken time out of your festivities to come spend the night with us.”

Cheers… and not a few monsters shout “#ForeverAlone!” in reply. Will, Chara, and I can’t help but giggle.

“Anyway,” the Inertia Society sociologist continues, “the Inertia Society opens its doors to you all tonight for a very important reason. Well, a couple very important reasons.

“Over the past couple months, the Inertia Society has begun carrying out the directives written in Dr. Wingdings Gaster’s final collection of writings, dubbed the Unified Theory Papers by his successors and family. In order to keep in line with these directives, the Inertia Society has spared no expense in teaching the human, Pauline Ugalde, all we can about our culture. We hope that by the end of the month, we will have the honor of giving her a tour of the CORE.”

Monsters whisper eagerly.

“How will they tell her what it looks like?”

“The CORE’s amazing! A complete clusterfuck, but it’s amazing!”

“So they’re letting her use magitronic components? Isn’t that… dangerous?”

“How could she understand a completely-magical field? She can’t use magic…”

“She needs that stick to walk around. She can’t use such aides to navigate the phenomenon which is magic. How can they teach er--”

Dewey continues, “In addition, Pauline has consented to aiding us in achieving the primary objective of this stage of the Unified Theory Papers, which is to devise a method of breaking the Barrier without any further loss of human life. Tonight, my colleagues and I are proud to present our method for achieving this objective in its entirety for your scrutiny.”

After a short pause, Dewey finishes, “Therefore, without further adue, I am honored to welcome the following monsters to the stage: our Primary CAD&CAD Researcher, Annie Asimov Moore; our Head Ethermetrist, Murrie Durkheim Curie; and none other than our Royal Scientist, Wingdings Tesla Gaster.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the link to the Wikipedia page on the SNES, which I accessed on June 23, 2017:
> 
> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Super_Nintendo_Entertainment_System
> 
> Here's the link to the Wikipedia page on ChronoTrigger, which I accessed on the same day:
> 
> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chrono_Trigger
> 
> Here's the page I used as inspiration for building the magitry configuration mentioned in this chapter, which I first accessed on June 20, 2017:
> 
> https://www.swtc.edu/Ag_Power/electrical/lecture/parallel_circuits.htm
> 
> Specifically, Ohm's law, v = ir, where v is voltage, i is current, and r is resistance, was used, except with some modified terms. The formula p = vi, where p is power, v is voltage, and i is current, was also a source of inspiration for the task I was trying to complete. I haven't created concrete numbers to account for the principles mentioned last chapter, meaning the inverse relationship between density of materials and the amount of magic they can store, but I may do that in the future.
> 
> Degrees are volts, and impact is the ethermetrical equivalent to watts, which measure power. The terms for current and resistance, which are channels and Tourings respectively, will be mentioned later.
> 
> As for ChronoTrigger, in this timeline, ChronoTrigger came out on March 22, 1995, simultaneously in Japan and North America. This doesn't change much because it doesn't matter when it came out, just that my friend Ian played it and talked about it to my friends and I in high school. ChronoTrigger still entered my life in the same way.
> 
> It being mentioned is important... very important... and not just because I'm a Nintendo fan... and not just because most everyone in this timeline is shaping up to be one too...
> 
> It's very important for later.
> 
> *******
> 
> Horray for the first significant time skip in the whole story! Expect more of them in the future, because writing out Chara and my routine day by day isn't as necessary as much anymore.
> 
> It occurred to me recently that there actually aren't many more structured events left for me to write about, meaning events which occur before the endgame. Therefore, there aren't many more chapters for me to write before I at last go to New Home.
> 
> At least, this is what I think... I wouldn't be surprised if I end up being totally wrong...
> 
> Regardless, our days and chapters counting down to the feeeeeeels are numbered, people.


	33. Chapter 33

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> [Now, we're back to your regularly-scheduled long chapters... Tesla-forbid. We've officially surpassed 130,000 words! Yaye!]
> 
> *Cue happy Chara noises*
> 
> Hopefully, I can write them consistently, meaning at least one every week, give or take a day.
> 
> Anyway, prepare for more rioting, ethical dilemmas regarding science, and feels!
> 
> Also prepare for awesomeness and finally backstory for the Gasters and the Moores in this timeline!
> 
> If you want to know, or don't know, what the "Uncanny Valley" is, read the endnotes. If you want to hear about my voice choices for the new characters, and or the calendar employed by the citizens of the Underground, read the endnotes. Otherwise, ignore them.

33

[Wow…] Chara observes with genuine surprise. [I never thought I’d hear so many nerds crying all at once.]

{Same--wait wait we did though when Gaster came back…}

[Oh yeah…]

{And you’re… still sniffling a little.}

[Yeah… it’s just…] Chara sniffles, [it’s so… surreal… to see everyone reacting to him… they’re like, lots more shocked than us…

[It’s like… like magic…]

{Yeah… it’s literally magic… well determination’s more like how we—humans—think of magic so…}

As the three Inertia Society members walk by my chair, each touching me on the shoulder as they pass, I soak in the vibes from the crowd and listen to their reactions. Most assume they are hallucinating. Others are confused. The rest are…

The rest are sobbing uncontrollably.

“I knew he’d be back!”

“I been dreaming of this moment for years!”

“I knewe it! I just knew it! He was alive! All along!”

“There was no dust at the sceen… so that’s why. He wasn’t really dead…”

“Those weird dreams… they… they were about Gaster…”

“My… my flashbacks out of nowhere… Gaster… you were in them…”

“I forgot about him…I can’t believe… how could I have…?”

“The human did it. She really did it.””

Paps kept his word.”

“OH MY FUCKING GOD IT’S HIIIIM!”

{[Heh?]}

[By Tesla… they came. All of them.]

{Who came?}

[The crew--]

{Ugh--}

[Oh come on you know it’s true… and funny… but seriously Robin Laura Amy and Grillby are in the front row.]

{Duuuude…!}

As someone near us shouts “OH MY FUCKING GOD IT’S HIIIIM! GAAAAAASTEEEEER!” again, I recognize the voice as Robin’s. [Jesus it’s been… how long…? Since I’ve hung out with them?}

[A couple months…]

{Daaaaaamn…}

The crowd shouts joyously for a few more minutes, Until Gaster intones, “P-p-p-please. Everyone. C-c-calm down. I… this is t-t-t-too m-m-much…”

[He’s… wincing in pain--]

{What?}

[He’s in pain. A lot of it…]

{But why?}

[‘Cause they’re casting lots of magic at him.]

{OH yeah… ‘cause that’s how monsters’ voices work…}

The crowd takes only a second to fall silent.

“Thank you.

“I know you must have innumerable questions regarding our… appearance… here tonight. Those among you born after my passing… you, in particular, must thirst for answers.

“And this is before I have even scratched the surface regarding the Unified Theory Papers. Fortunately, we have all the time in the world to explain ourselves.”

[He’s gesturing at Alphys.]

“First, I will permit Alphys Durkheim Curie to elaborate on the soulogical and ethermetrical logistics of what the Inertia Society calls the…”

He speaks the next two words in a, slow, foreboding voice, “Determination study.

“This information is vital to understanding the full scope of my… my absence… and how Pauline factored into my return.

“And in any case, this information is… we should have…”

He sighs. “Considering the nature of our experiments, you have the right to know.”

“O-k-k-kay,” Alphys hedges in response. “H-h-h-here we g-g-g-go…”

… … … “That’s what we’ll be doing.” Annie finishes. “So over the next few months we’re gonna collect Pauline’s unused determination and infuse it with our preexisting modules. Like what Pauline and the others did to bring the three of us back in the first place. They’ll be able to produce so many more degrees of power than our normal yellow magic ones.

“Then we’ll try tapping into more useful information on the surface Internet after reconfiguring our CAD&CAD machines.

“So we can watch Twitch!” someone shouts.

“More than that man.” Murry confirms. “We’ll be able to stream! On real Twitch! And not just some knockoff—“

A chorus consisting of ‘Not cool man!” and “Seriously duuude?” and “I’m telling Mettaton!” in reply.

“I know I know I’m just joking.” Murry laughs it off. “But in all seriousness, with all of us back here, and a steady source of determination, all the experiments we kept on the backburner; we can do them now. The Inertia Society can fulfill its original purpose—“

“’Original purpose?’” a spectator near the back repeats.

“You know what we mean.” Annie responds… a little too quickly. “Our mission is stated in the Inertia Society Manifesto: to educate any humans who come into contact with our culture, to break the Barrier with nonviolent means, and to facilitate the integration—“

“But what about the amalgamates!?”

Alphys stutters, “I kn-kn-kn-know I hurt a l-l-l-lot of m-m-m-monsters in the p-p-p-past. But… but I’ve accepted that. They’re watching the Fireside Chat right now. So they can all see you and—“

“How do we know you won’t capture more of our friends and family?”

“How can we be sure no one else’ll get force-fed your damned determination!?”

“The participants in the Determination Study were willing volunteers,” Gaster reiterates, somehow managing to keep a cool head. Chara and I profoundly respect him for that. “We specifically chose patients conscious enough to consent to their participation firsthand. And we warned them early and often that considering the… origin… of the substance we were administering to them, they could suffer adverse effects. They did not intentionally—“

“And what!? Now that they’re hurt will you replace them?”

“Will you use your Asgore-foresaken technology to recreate exact copies of them?”

“You think we wouldn’t accept them, as they are now?”

“Show them to us!”

“You’re the ones we can’t accept!”

“monsters were never meant to return from death like this… this is not right.”

“STOP!”

“{[Paps?]}”

“Everyone!” he shouts again, from somewhere to our right. The crowd quiets unevenly.

“My colleagues and I have already had preliminary discussions on measures we could take to… extricate, the amalgamates’ component monsters from one another. I suspect that determination is the key to doing so. After all, determination bound them together in the first place.

“And again, now that we have a steady, consenting source of determination, such experiments are more than just empty speculation. Actually, it was my idea that we allow the amalgamates to watch the proceedings tonight.”

He walks closer to the center of the dais and pleads, “Please. I… I know emotions are running high tonight but…”

He takes a breath and sighs. “Think of what they would say. If they could… if they could be here, in the flesh, to see your behavior now. They would not want—“

The crowd soon drowns out Papyrus’s words.

“How dare you put words in our loved ones’ mouths!”

“For all we know they really did die… and you just cloned them!”

Gaster’s voice breaks. I’m only able to perceive him speaking because of the tiny changes in the air around us, in his field of knowing. “P-p-please… I… I know these realizations are painful… but you must believe us. Truly, the amalgamates are still the monsters you—“

“If they really were our loved ones, why aren’t they here!?”

“You tried cloning them! But you failed!”

“Hiding the evidence huh?”

“Trying to create life using a machine…”

“You did it again, didn’t you!?”

“You cloned more monsters!”

“Like you did your… your ‘sons!?’”

“LIES!”

“DAMNED LIES!”

“STATISTICS!”

All order breaks down.

Monsters rush the dais.

It doesn’t take long for a crowd to surround me. Hands—paws—claws—whatever they are--they grab at me, shoving me toward the edge. The Gaster Blaster skids up my body so it floats in front of my face and fires several shots, but the crowd doesn’t disapate at all.

{How many monsters are even here?}

[A lot.

[A hundred?

[Two hundred?]

My feet slip off the edge of the dais so the crowd holds me in the air. Nearby, I hear Will screaming and Annie hurling prophanities, accompanied by bursts of orange magic.

[Load your save file!]

{Why!?}

[You know why! You can go back! Back to the magitry test. You can tell Gaster about this. So less monsters will come here! So he can--]

{But Papyrus said--}

[I know!]

{Gaster wants to see everyone. This was a risk he took himself.

{And I’m… I’m scared.

{Can I even load if I’m scared?}

Silence from Chara. [I… I don’t know.

[‘Cause you have to be determined enough to do it.

[And if you aren’t determined enough… then…

[Then…

[And if that Gaster blaster isn’t helping then…

[How would determination even help us?]

Hands… claws… whatever else… tear at my clothes. I gasp as some appendages draw blood, as bullets and other conceentrated projectiles and constructs made of magic rake across my body. My HP falls.

{No healing items?} I ask weakly.

[Our bag’s gone.

[Again.]

{Oh.

{I get it.}

[Get what?]

{They want me—us—dead… really bad. And passion makes monsters’ magic stronger. So…}

[You aren’t surprised…]

{Why would I be?}

[How can you think this. Our HP’s at like… twenty—eighteen. And dropping.]

{I don’t know.} my mental voice is flat. {Guess I’m not surprised.}

[You aren’t scared you might die…]

{Ehh. I don’t know. We’ll end up in that magitry room.} is my shrug-worthy reply. {Like you said. I won’t really die, so--}

Play as many loops as needed until the next note.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qnfRcP3vqbE

The next few moments seem to occur in slow motion.

I sense a tingling on my skin.

Yellow magic.

Powerful yellow magic.

The hold the hands--claws--appendages have on me loosens, as I slip out of their grasp.

The crowd, which had been roaring in my ears until now, quiets, until only a few… curious… whispers… remain.

I begin moving through the air, feet-first, my body slanted downward slightly.

Wait.

Slanted downward?

The almost-deafening, whining and crashing of Gaster blasters fills the air. With every laser they fire, I’m pulled along faster and faster—

Pulled along?

They’re not using yellow magic. Not entirely.

They’re using yellow and purple magic.

Time seems to return to its normal speed as the crowd begins roaring again. Roaring and… cheering? Chara and I scream as we zip across the room, seemingly over the heads of the crowd. I brace myself, expecting to crash into a wall.

After a second, my feet hit something… but it’s not a wall.

“GOTCHYA!”

It takes me an eternity to recognize the voice. Chara and I can’t believe it.

“{[Alphys?]}”

“You bet every ounce of determination you’ve got it’s me!” she yells in my ear. “Get behind me and hold on. We’ve got a few encounters to clear before we get over to the others. But with the help of these new hybrid-magic Gaster blasters and your determination, it should be easy!

“Just… by Tesla, don’t let go.”

The next few seconds… minutes… are a blurr. The staticy sound of Gaster blasters sounds from nearby as Alphys and I part-run, part-leap through and over the rioting crowd. Several times, when we launch into the air, I hear the Gaster blasters’ almost-deafening noise coming from underneath us. I use both hands to grab on to the back of Alphys’s lab coat, her screams piercing the air as she clears a path for us. Her sleeves jerk back and forth, and monsters nearby yelp in pain after each motion.

[Wow! I never thought Alphys could hit someone soooo haaard!]

{Noooo way…}

[Yeah way! She’s like, using the Gaster Blasters’ lasers to throw everyone aside and to jump really high. The Gaster Blasters under us are helping us jump.]

{Like rocket jumping--}

[I guess—I don’t know what that is but, if you think so…]

Eventually, we touch down, Alphys telling me to let go of her. “You’re standing by a wall so… yeah: just hang out. Almost everyone’s here. We’re waiting on Sans to get Laura and Amy ‘cause they’re--”

The hissing and crashing of a Gaster Blaster… a regular yellow one… and a more than a little gratifying “Fuck!” from Robin to my left interrupt Alphys. From my hours of magitry, the smell which I now know is burnt fabric reaches me, and two thudding noises rattle the floor beside me…

That… and the floor beneath me shakes so violently that I’m about to fall over.

“SANS!” we all shout.

Sans is only a little out of breath when he speaks. “Alphys? What… what the hell was that?”

“I… I saved her—“ Alphys begins to reply.

“Yeh. I saw that.” Sans continues to pant from in front of me. “But Alph? I’m serious.”

The floor stops shaking… and Chara stops whispering [No no no no no not more eye glow of doom We don’t need that—whoa his eye lights are gone…]

He presses her: “Alph? What… what the hell was that?”

Alphys takes some deep breaths before replying.

“Yellow and purple magic.

“I… I guess I just cemented myself in yellow and purple magic.”

“And,” she talks more confidently, “considering that my stats just jumped to 64 attack and 20 defense from twenty-five attack and nine defense, I guess you could say that I’ve just gotten a boost in endurance and magical ability.

“And thanks to Pauline, and my new physicality, a pinch of determination.”

We all take a moment to soak in Alphys’s words…

At least, until a burst of orange magic washes over us… and I remember how I’m at fifteen HP out of forty-three…

Someone grabs me roughly by the shoulders and pulls me to one side. “This is urgent.” Annie whispers hurriedly in my ear. “You know those modules I gave you?”

“Yeah?”

“And how determination gets channeled through the other forms of magic?”

Yeah…?“?”

“Give them to us. We’ll be right beside you. Your field of knowing’ll still encompass them. And who knows? Since you’re sharing a field of knowing maybe Murry’s green magic’ll heal you.”

As I reach into my pockets and hand the tiny cubes to Annie, I tell her, “Makes sense.”

“I don’t know what the hell’s going on here,” Robin confesses, “but if this means we get to watch more asskicking from the Gasters, and new asskicking from the Curies, fine by me.”

[He’s like, holding out Nice Creams--]

“Take these—“

Chara guides my body so I turn toward Robin and take four of the healing items.

“I… I can’t really fight. I’ll toss ‘em to our fighters if they need ‘em though. I brought food so… might as well use it.

“SANS! ALPHYS! DEWEY! GIVE ‘EM A BAD TIME!”

“{Fucking hell dude this isn’t fucking Smash Bros!}”

[Ohe he knows… he’s just hyped.]

“Will do Crusoe. Will do.”

[Uh… Sans seems… a little too happy to do this…]

{…}

Alphys begins shouting from several feet away, the whine of summoning Gaster blasters punctuating her every word. “Sure: you can have Pauline.

“Over my dead body!”

“And you better listen to her!”

{Wait wait what!?}

[It’s Undyne.]

We both sigh in relief. {[Thank Tesla.]}

“Her conviction trumps yours by a thousand times! If you don’t think she’s worthy of fighting alongside the Royal Guard then… then you’ll have to go through me!”

Stop the music.

… … … “—to witness the largest public disclosure since Dr. Gaster announced the ‘birth’ of his first son—“

“—rekindling debate over their legitimacy—“

“--lobbying the Dreemurrite court for extra Royal Guard protection—“

“—Snowdin residents have implemented a curfew—“

“—resigning in response to Undyne’s support of the Inertia Society—“

“—calling Alphys’s cementing ‘unnatural,’ seeing as the human aided her—“

“—have resumed speculation into the ethergraph, and the percentage of a monster’s magic occupied by determination—“

“--moved to a safe, undisclosed location, away from prying eyes.”

“—William Moore undergoing psychophysiological therapy to treat his injuries after this latest riot—“

“—much worse, tibia honest, Mettaton. I mean, she ain’t shocked ‘bout them tryin’ to kill ‘er. (laughs) Guess that should be worryin’ for us. But yeh: you’re the only journalist I trust right now. You and the rest of Undermail. (sighs) Thanks for keepin’ everyone informed.”

“Of course Sans. Is there anything else you would like to say before we sign off tonight?”

“Pauline’s still gonna tour the CORE, when the time comes. But not before then. Nothin’s gonna change that.”

“Thank you for your time tonight, Sans.”

“Any time MTT, any time.”

“Well you just heard it here, everyone: the Inertia Society is still carrying on with the goals it set forth in its manifesto, released to the public 201 surface years ago. I will bring you the latest developments as soon as I can.

“But keep in mind, my dear viewers: these are more than just the focus of a story. They’re my friends. Their well-being comes before the latest scoop. So, stop hounding me about getting a story out however often is expected of a twenty-four-hour surface television network. Because that’s not what I am. And I intend to keep it that way.”

He lowers his voice. “If you keep harassing us with these phone calls and emails, I will alert the Inertia Society’s Media Relations Specialist so he may enact the more, proactive, aspects of his post. Not before I request the disclosure of any relevant phone numbers, email addresses, and ethergraphs, of course.

“And you damn well know what he is capable of. So unless you want a bad time…”

Chara and I shudder.

“Anyway, from the Inertia Society headquarters, I am Mettaton, reporting on behalf of Live Report. Take care of yourselves out there darlings, and stay determined.”

It’s been… four… five… according to Chara, who looks at the clock for me, six… hours… since the riot finally ended… or moved elsewhere, depending on who you ask. The conveyor belts in Hotland have been almost entirely shut down, and access to the lab has been strictly monitored, and will be strictly monitored until the violence stops, and the threat of violence disappears.

I’ve wached hours upon hours of news reports, some from Mettaton, others from Reed and Wrighte, who bravely ventured outside to gather testimonials from the citizens. They tend to consist of two kinds of testimonials: the first kind are testimonials where an overeager Pyrope rambles almost incoherently about Gaster and how they finally have the chance to watch him create magitry in person. Alternatively, an Aaron makes well-meaning, yet creepy, bodybuilding analogies regarding Alphys’s experience and my hand in it. The second kind involves me trying, and usually failing, to not swear over Royal Guard members condemning Undyne… or a group of damned Dreemurrites chanting “Hey Gaster, on this day, how many monsters you kill today?” as close to the lab as the Royal Guard will allow, picket signs included.

Sighing, Mettaton sets his camera on the floor. “Sans… again, I am more than thankful you let me stay here tonight. Me, and the chief Undermail staff.”

He laughs… just a little nervously. “When I saw you right after the riot ended I expected you to shake us down for weapons—“

“Heh heh heh heh. And can ya blame me?”

“No no, not at all. Which is why I’m surprised you let us in so readily.”

“Ya risked life and limb for us in Snowdin. How could I forget that?”

He sighs. “I… I doubted ya. Real hard. ‘Cause… you’re a star. A YouTube star. Ya wouldn’t expect someone like that to have so much… integrity—“

[He’s like, gesturing for Sans to stop--]

“Oh no I’m not worthy of that,” Mettaton stops him before he can continue. “I’m just doing what’s right. Especially since… now I know about Steven, and how he behaved with such integrity. You can’t compare me to him.

“Journalists don’t just hound political figures for dirt on the latest scandal. They uncover the truth. Enlighten the masses. Give a voice to the powerless.

“And I have to respect your personal space, first and foremost. Yours, and everyone else’s. I’d be more than cruel for asking Will and his family for interviews right now.”

Mettaton sighs again, the table creaking under my hands, faint whisps of yellow magic brushing my face and arms. “Darling, I know I’ve asked this before, but I should have asked it again before I started filming. How are you holding up? I know you are not in the most, stable condition but…”

[He shrugged--]

“—humans are strong. You’re… you’re taking this a lot better than the Moores are. I’m shocked you even stayed up with us so long… you must want to drop dead and sleep for a week after this is all over.”

I hesitate before replying, hearing Will and Annie softly talking in the next room, occasionally punctuated by two other voices: Allen and Touring, their parents. “Ehh. I mean… again I’m not surprised they want to kill me. Again. Everyone does.”

I,” Mettaton hesitantly adds, “have to agree. I’m not surprised that you’re not surprised. If I’ve got this right, then you just… your determination… it would have allowed you to live beyond death anyway, right?”

“Yeah.”

“So,” He laughs sadly. “You really don’t have anything to worry about.”

“Oh: I wish.” I can’t help but shoot back as I take a sip from my drink. The gentle tingle of green magic washes down my throat before I respond, my HP gradually rising upward from twenty-five one point. “I just… I was so scared. I… I don’t think I could have defied death then. ‘Cause you can only do that if you want to live. And I… I knew why they wanted me dead so…”

We sit in silence for a few seconds. Eventually, I turn my head toward where I last heard Sans’s voice. “Why’s everyone arguing about you and Paps?”

Sans… takes a while to answer. “Not just us. Alphys and will. But I’m… I’m not the one to tell ya. Not like this.”

He stands from his seat and walks around to my side of the table. “Come on. Ya gotta meet the rest of the Moores first. Then we’ll regroup somewhere else. With drinks. Preferably from Gerson—“

“Sans! I’m shocked at you! You know she is underaged, even on human standards!”

“{[Woooooow…]}” Chara and I proceed to shame Sans.

“Oh come on MTT I didn’t mean that. After all, would the Paradox even effect ‘er? I mean, there’d have to be a ton of light blue and orange magic to—“

“Oh by Tesla can you please just get everyone out of here and back to the dining room before you soil Gerson’s name and make him seem even more unjustifiably shady?”

Sans chuckles. “Don’t have to. He’ll do it ‘imself…”

Mettaton huffs, while Chara and I giggle.

Allen; listen from 0:44 to 0:54:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OJmpUs40Hso&index=3&list=PL7Ic3f2gdYDgl3eHEuHmG7zhIeP7y5-an

Touring; listen from 4:05 to 4:10:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BhHg9R1tTPg&index=9&list=PL7Ic3f2gdYDgl3eHEuHmG7zhIeP7y5-an

… … … “So I’m the one who figured out that green magic acts as a resistor in a magitronic circuit!” Allen proudly announces. “The unit for resistance in a magitronic circuit is named a Touring for a reason.”

Several monsters start clapping, and I follow suit. “{[Duuude!]}”

[Dude like, wow: Gaster? Who knew you’d be the one to clap first?]

{Wow… I mean Allen deserves it but still…}

“And I created the primary magitry components controlling the mechanisms policing the flow of ether into the CORE from its origin at the Barrier,” Touring says after everyone applauds her husband.

Annie and Will whoop, and everyone starts clapping again. “so really,” Annie slyly notes, “when you go down there she’s gonna be the one helping you around, not Gaster—“

“Well Gaster did the most work out of all of us so…” Murry defends from on my right, “yeah: good luck with that.”

Returning to the topic at hand, I turn to the right slightly to face Touring, who sits on the opposite side of the table from me. “So… that CAD&CAD machine we used to bring back Gaster… you have more than one?”

“Far from it. Actually, we had a lot of experience with it and machines like it by then.”

The pull of purple magic drags my chair forward slightly as Touring begins to speak. “We were the fourth case. The fourth case where a CAD&CAD machine was used to…”

[She’s making, nervous air-quotes…]

“—to, ‘tamper’, with a monster birth.

“Will was our second child. He was born on the first day of the third month of 175X—“

“So October 17, 1989,” Dewey clarifies for me, on my left.

“Yeah I know.”

“Just making sure.”

“Anyway,” Touring continues, “the CAD&CAD machine didn’t come into play until… until we…”

She sighs. “We saw it immediately. When Will became fully-formed we… noticed something. We put our very best efforts into… into creating him. We hadn’t used magic for a week beforehand.

“But…

“But he had no arms, Pauline.”

I can’t help but reply with a “What?”

“We didn’t know what to do.” Allen says flatly. “We’d heard of human children being born with… with malodies like that but… but not monsters. We didn’t know where to turn.

“But the Gasters were there, to witness the birth and… and Gaster kept a cool head! He offered to… to design mechanical arms for Will.”

I breathe, “This explains a lot—“

“Wait.” Will interrupts me from his seat between his parents. “So you… didn’t know my arms were like, mechanical yo?”

“What do you think!?”

“So that’s a no,” Will answers his own question.

Suddenly, he reaches across the table, gripping my hands, placing one on each of his shoulders. “Feel where the spiky bits end and where the metal plastic stuff starts?”

“Yess…?” I’m taken aback by his… sudden display of… of trust. Of… disclosure.

“That’s where Gaster attached my arms to me. They grow as I grow. They’re like if I had normal arms, but better!”

“Duuuude…” I hold Will’s hands as Touring continues, “Will was homeschooled, like Annie had been for the first couple years. And we had intended it to stay that way. ‘Cause even while Annie went to work for Gaster, he could still see her every day. But…”

“But what?” I ask.

[You know what happened.]

{Oh…}

“So,” Allen finishes, trying to fill the silence, “our family has had a long history with Gaster and his family, long before the first day of 147X, when Annie was born.

“In fact, we were there when Sans was born.”

“More like in the other room,” his wife corrects, “waiting with the Curies, but—“

[She shook her head.]

“—you get it. We watched Gaster struggle raising his sons, all by himself. We watched him try to balance work, his family life, and, of course, constantly contending with the… the allegations and controversy… surrounding Sans’s and Papyrus’s births.”

“What allegations?”

“You heard the protesters earlier.” Gaster reminds me from the head of the table. “You already grasp some of the… dilemmas… I had grappled with for two-and-a-half decades. And… what I must grapple with again, now that your family has reunited…”

“Uh… the…” I grope for the right words. {I can’t remember…}

Without warning, I ask, in words that aren’t my own, “You mean the cloning right?”

[You may have forgotten. But I didn’t. And I think Gaster would appreciate you being attentive right now by showing you remember this stuff.]

{I--} I begin to reply.

[I know you don’t mean to hurt him. But still: I’d think you’d remember something like that ‘cause it’s so out there at first glance but…]

“Yes, actually.” Gaster confirms. “Recall from your studies how two monsters were required for a monster child to be born. We know now that the miniscule amounts of determination in monsters allows them to give birth to children. Their desire to live, when channeled into the process, spawns a monster child.”

“You said ‘were…’” I point out.

[Gaster nodded.]

“Correct. I say ‘were’ because this was true until… hmm… 1970, in human years. 156X. The first day of 156X, to be precise.

“You must have wondered, after learning of this process, how Sans and Papyrus were born.”

Before I can answer, Mettaton pipes up, from the opposite end of the table to Gaster. “And no: their second parent is not dead.”

“{Uh…}”

“Yeah I’ve thought of it. I wasn’t thinking of that… I think… I don’t know… but what I was thinking wasn’t that…”

“The Moores have alluded to it, for they have mentioned how Will’s, condition, was the fourth time a CAD&CAD machine had a hand in a monster’s birth.”

I wait silently for Gaster to continue.

“I… I so desperately desired to have children. But I…”

Holding back tears, Gaster says, “I was alone. By that time I had been the only skeleton left in the Underground for decades. Since… since the Inertia Society was founded, so long ago. The remainder of my kind had either been killed during the tumultuous years directly succeeding the erection of the Barrier, or they had been overcome by our circumstances and had fallen down.

“Thus, I thought there was no hope for me.

“But… I had an idea. I knew that though I, like any other monster who so desired, could have children without assistance, the aging process would be greatly accelerated. Thus, why monsters have children with a partner. To… bear the burden alongside another.”

His voice cracking, he continues, “Though fully capable of doing so, I...... I could not… I knew I would not survive the decade, if I had Sans and Papyrus alone. And… if I was to raise them under human customs I… I could not allow them to grow up without psychophysiological parents. Though I knew monsters who could have taken up the role, and performed it well, I… I did not want them to suffer the consequences of being the only skeletons left in the Underground, with no one to protect them or act as a role model for them.

“Thus, I utilized the same CAD&CAD technology used to create the components of the CORE… except rather than inputting architectural plans into the system, and hooking in an architect, I connected myself to both ports: that for inputting the reqquired blueprints, and the port requiring a monster’s presence, necessary to imbue the finished product with magic, which cannot be replicated by a machine. By nature, magitronics, and other objects created to harness magic, require a… living…component, to work at their fullest. Thus why computers are powered by a monster’s latent field of knowing. A monster must imbue the object with magic, for magic originated from living beings.”

“I did that for you…” I realize. “I did that for you. But we got you out of the Void not made you from scratch.”

“Yes. My case was much more complicated but… yes; you served the same purpose. But with a greatly increased role. Rather than half the burden falling on me, and the other half falling on a partner, a vast majority of the magical burden fell on a machine.

“And so, on July 10, the first day of 156X, I gave birth, or rather, created Sans. And in my magic-deficient state afterward, I humored Dewey, and gave him leeway to name him.”

He chuckles nostalgically. “Sans teeth, sans hair, sans everything… I never realized that his birth would coincide with a pun like that. However… it was only fair. Us skeletons are essentially humans… sans… most of these components, after all. We are monsters, sans most of what makes monsters seem so… inhuman. For the vast majority of monsterkind, we are at the absolute bottom of the uncanny valley, as they call it, regarding appearances and relatability.

“Just over eighteen surface months later, Papyrus was born, and I resolved to let Dewey name him... before I became magic-deficient. He named him so, for at that time, Sans had just written his first complex sentence and computed his first mathematical calculation requiring multiple operations, on paper crafted from the grass by the river which winds through the Underground. Paper Dewey researched, so us monsters could copy and preserve human documents in a more resilient form, in an age before computers and scanners rendered such laborious efforts trivial. Those plants are not similar to the papyrus reed in any way but…”

He chuckles again. “It is the thought that counts.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here is the link to the TV Tropes and Idioms page explaining the Uncanny Valley. I accessed this page on July 1, 2017.
> 
> http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/UncannyValley
> 
> As for Allen and Touring, their voices come from Man Who Speaks in Hands, an Undertale comic, dubbed by Studio Cat Bird. Their voices are good, but Gaster's voice in particular wasn't what I had in mind for this timeline's version of him. This is why I Mentioned when Gaster was first introduced that he had the voice of the Gaster from Ask Frisk and Company, but the personality of the Gaster from Man Who Speaks in Hands.
> 
> Alphys Takes Action is a very interesting idea for a boss fight. I loved the idea so... it's only fair I use that theme when Alphys is cemented in perseverance and justice magic. Her lines when she confirms what forms of magic she has cemented herself in, and her stats of 64 attack and 20 defense, are a tribute to the introduction of, and checking her stats, during that fight.
> 
> Time to address the speculative, immersive, and yet annoying-to-calculate dates for this timeline's calendar!
> 
> As Gaster said, there are 343 days in the Dreemurrite year: seven months of seven weeks of seven days. However, when the system began to be used in 1814, there was no set start date, for reasons which will be mentioned soon. Suffice to say, in modern times, the year begins on July 10, and ends 343 days later. That gap of time between that 343rd day and July 10 is... important, as Gaster said.
> 
> Now you all know when the Inertia Society was founded... and how old most of the "contemporary" cast is... meaning Sans, Paps, Will, and Annie are oooold... at least when compared to me...
> 
> Out of the characters discussed thus far, Sans and Annie share a birthday: July 10th, in human surface years. Papyrus was born on January 10th, 1972, or on the 10th day of the fourth month of 157X.
> 
> Undyne was born on May 19, 1975, which is the 19th day of the 7th month of 161X.
> 
> I'm proud of how I conceived of this calendar. After all, though the Gregorian calendar, with 12 months of 30, 31, or 28/29 days, is all well and good for us, it relies on the motion of the earth around the sun, and the moon's phases, and how the earth's rotation creates the moon's seeming changes in size for observers on earth.
> 
> Yeah... cycles like that wouldn't mean anything to beings who have never seen the sun, those who have only read about the sky and sun and stars from old surface textbooks... and later on, photographs and video. Also, seven is an important number for them so... makes sense they'd design units of time around it.
> 
> I was also able to flesh out this calendar because I found a web site where you can calculate the date X days from a certain date, and perform other useful time and date functions
> 
> [{Thank Tesla!]}
> 
> From now on, when appropriate, I'll write dates in Dreemurrite years in the following format. Keep in mind, this is similar to the non-American format for writing dates, which is day/month/year. The months don't have names yet... but they will eventually.
> 
> day of month/number of month/year
> 
> Therefore, Undyne's birthday is:
> 
> 19/07/161X.
> 
> Papyrus's birthday is:
> 
> 10/04/157X .
> 
> Will's birthday is:
> 
> 01/03/175X .
> 
> The date which is relevant for most Undertale fans, is Sans's birthday... which is:
> 
> 01/01/156X .
> 
> With this information in mind, if you want to wish any of the characters a happy birthday, in the comments or on Twitter, you know when to do it...
> 
> Visiontale Sans's birthday is in nine days. He'll be 47 this year.
> 
> Strangely, his birthday is nine days from today, July 1, which is the day the first iteration of this chapter was posted here... the more you know. This wasn't intentional. I just realized this wile I was writing these endnotes...
> 
> As for why July 10 is the first day of the Dreemurrite year?
> 
> We've been using his name as a euphemism this entire time... and it's Gaster's middle name.
> 
> July 10th is the birthday of Nicola Tesla. Specifically, he was born on July 10, 1856... or, in underyears, he was born on the first day of the first month of 42X, which is 01/01/42X.
> 
> Make of that what you will...
> 
> [Conspiracy theorists go!]


	34. Chapter 34

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There goes me updating this story every week... *sigh...*
> 
> Finally! Backstory on Sans's, Paps's, and Alphys's childhoods! That, and more feels and ethical dilemmas... although there's an ethical dilemma in almost every chapter so...
> 
> [Get used to it.]
> 
> If you want to know about my thought processes for my music choice for this chapter, the various... aspects... of the characters' backstories, and my plans for the rest of the story, read the endnotes. Otherwise, ignore them.

34

Loop until the end of the chapter.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8qZVNNlTypE

“{Wait whaaaat!?}”

“You always do this…” Papyrus notes wryly. “My father, or one of our colleagues, presents some information to you, and then you…”

He searches for the right word. “Flip out.” He eventually settles on, testing the sound of the phrase in his mouth—within his soul…

“What else am I supposed to do!? Like how would I have known that you literally had only one parent? Like I had friends who had one parent so—“

“In that case,” Papyrus amends, “your reaction is less jarring but…”

[He shrugged—wow Paps that’s a first--]

“--gneh.”

“Let me guess: ya think I’m old. Me and Pap—“ Sans begins to say, before I finish his thought for him. “I mean I called Undyne old!”

“Heh heh heh heh. Point taken.

“When I asked ya how old ya thought I was, back in Waterfall… I was curious ‘bout what you’d say. ‘Cause monsters’ voices don’t reflect their age. It’s more a reflection of the media they consume and their life experiences or somethin’. I was wonderin’ how old ya thought I was then.”

“I mean…” I struggle to articulate my thoughts, “I, I don’t know. Like I assumed you were young or something ‘cause you knew about gaming and stuff.”

“You aren’t wrong in that sense,” Dewey surprises me. “Monsters’ ages are only for record-keeping’s sake. Socially, Sans and Papyrus are relatively young. Monsters mark age in terms of soulological development. Like the cementing; that’s why we were so happy for Alphys. She was born exactly five \years after Sans but she was only cemented now—“

“{Holy shit…}”

“In human terms,” Murry thinks aloud, “Alphys is pretty young. Definitely a couple years above drinking age—hell we use cementing as the mark for when a monster can drink—“

“So yeh: that part of the menu at Grillby’s ‘bout non-cemented monsters not bein’ allowed to drink—“

“Dewey!“ I laugh. Duuuude!”

[He’s… blushing…?]

The sociologist laughs as well. “Yeah: it’s… kinda sad… and honestly I always found it funny. It’s okay don’t worry about it. It’s true! And I’m not offended so…”

[Sans don’t look at Alphys like that that’s soooo wrong--]

{… Whyyyy???}

“I think Grillby’s makin’ somethin’ for ya in the other room Alph, to help ya get over the bullshit outside—“

[She’s like, blushing really hard--]

“I… I don’t know whether to be thankful for that or worried… but… I think I appreciate it…” Alphys attempts to respond to Sans’s… encouragement.

“Heya that’s the spirit—“

“Oh…” Alphys groans at Sans’s alcohol—spirits—pun--

“Guys: if you’re gonna talk about how we drink our emotions away when we technically can’t get drunk off normal human drinks, save it for later.”

Sans and Alphys stop their banter immediately.

Murry huffs. “Point is, Alphys is over 21, in human years. I’d bet she’s at least five years more than that. Can’t say for sure.

“At least some good can come out of our magical origins for once…” Alphys quietly says. “Even if that good is… drinking away our problems together. For once we won’t be ridiculed for… for everything.”

“What do you mean?”

No one answers.

I continue, afraid of what they might say.

If I don’t ask, then they won’t talk about it.

I have to ask.

“Is it about the Determination Study?”

A short silence. {Oh God no no no no no not again…}

“Yeah.” She replies slowly. “That’s part of it.”

[Oh man… get ready ‘cause this is gonna be a story…]

{Why?}

[Gaster’s like, staring at us really hard and everyone’s leaning in to hear him.]

{Oh. It’s one of those things.}

“Sans’s and Papyrus’s births were the culmination of decades of work, the culmination of our efforts to shape monster society to more closely mimic human society. For if we raised our children in a human-like fashion, my colleagues and I believed that they could aide the older generations’ integration into surface life. We theorized, by that time, that they would have adapted human habits as their own. We surmised that such familiarity would ease the minds of the humans we met. That our behavior would reassure them that monsterkind had indeed progressed in all senses of the word, that we had not descended into barbarism upon our imprisonment.”

“I mean that’s fair.”

“I raised my sons according to human timescales as much as could be managed, meaning they grew up around a twenty-four hour day, day-night cycle. I ensured that they could convert Gregorian dates to Dreemurrite dates and vice versa with ease from a young age. And I emphasized to them how monster lifestyles differed from human ones.”

“I still remember dad telling us stories about monsters being confused about human hygenics and circadian rhythms yo!” Will adds.

“In the 180s?” I emphasize. “The late 180s?”

[Everyone’s nodding really really hard.]

“Yeah! It’s… kinda weird and sad actually…” he says sheepishly. I giggle a little at his sudden change in mood. “I mean I got it, ‘cause I knew that ten A.M means morning and every day and most humans work during the day ‘cause they can’t see good at night and you guys didn’t invent street lights until the 1800s but still. Allen said that lots of monsters didn’t get that, when they lived on the surface. Even after two hundred surface years some still thought it was weird! He still does—“

[Allen’s laughing silently right now--]

“He said monsters didn’t even have clocks in their houses for a long time, ‘cause why have a clock that uses hours and a calendar that uses days when you can’t see sunrise and sunset and noon and midnight?”

Not for the first time, I marvel at Will’s insights… and then remind myself that he only seems like a kid because of his speech patterns. He’s… 26, in human years… but he’s… he’s probably barely a teenager, on monster timescales. Maybe even younger.

“What proved most difficult to enforce among monster families was that humans determined legal seniority via age rather than deeds,” Gaster continues. “although humans’ maturity occurring at different times for each of them resonated with us. Even so, we deduced early on that monsters age in an… erratic… manner, compared to humans. The Curies would know.”

“Here’s the thing.” Murry leans in closer to me, the warmth of orange magic tingling against my forehead. “Gaster mentioned Sans learning to read and rrite and do math ‘cause those are better ways of measuring maturity for monsters. We learn that stuff a lot faster, since it’s a matter of being immersed in our parents’ fields of knowing. Proportionally, we learn it at a much younger age than humans. It’s magic-based concepts which take the longest to learn, since they’re a holistic process, it’s soulological conditioning. It’s one of those skills that they can only learn from being around other monsters. Like certain social skills being only passed on through human interaction. The only thing that takes longer to learn is how to anchor a monster in a human’s thought processes, and to help them realize that these thought processes in particular guide their thinking.”

As if on cue, the entire room and I recite in unison, “Their values. Their reasoning. Their mastery of the world around them.”

“Derivin’ magic’s properties by makin’ extrapolations ‘bout the experiences of the humans who sealed us underground was a… bitter pill for everyone to swallow. At least that’s what Gaster’s told me and Paps.”

Sans laughs. “It took the Inertia Society a while to realize that magic doesn’t break the laws of physics. In lots of ways, it conflicts with ‘em.”

[He shrugged.]

“Or maybe they work in tandem. We’re still not sure.

“The best example’s gravity: ya have to know how it works so ya can defy it usin’ blue magic. Lots of monsters find stuff like physics and chemistry real hard for that reason. Why wait for a reaction to happen when ya can just transmute the materials ya need from somehtin’ ya don’t?”

“But Alphys, my brother, and I could perform mathematical and physics calculations far more effectively than our peers because Gaster and Dewey taught us to perceive things how humans did!” Papyrus explains. “Actually, we didn’t use magic that much because they forbade us from using it until we could calculate the force needed to lift an object or move it in a direction. These computations are much too complex to perform in real time, but knowing that they existed, that these equations simulated tangible forces, and that they governed our soulological interactions, increased the precision of our magic use immensely! Because we knew which aspects of the physical world we had to overcome in order to exert our fields of knowing over them!”

“{Duuuude!}” is all I manage to say… at least until Chara mentally pokes me in the ribs. {Fine fine I’ll say more! God…}

“That’s true,” I begin to say. “’Cause if you know about gravity and stuff you know that you have to deal with it, wherever you go. Whatever magic you’re using.”

“Sans and Papyrus were among the first generation of monsters to immerse themselves in human experience from a young age. My family, in fact, became the model for such an upbringing. I homeschooled them until I deduced that they were ready, so by the time they entered school, in your… hmm… sixth grade… their twelth year, they possessed the skills necessary to expand their human and monster-oriented educations. By then, the Inertia Society had conducted the research required to adopt human academic practices to suit monster students. Our trial programs with charter schools and mobile on-demand courses had mostly come to a close.

“By 166X, a sufficient number of Inertia Society members had undergone the necessary training to become teachers, adapting their classes and schedules to accommodate their varied student bodies. Their school is walking—belting—distance away, as a matter of fact.”

“{Heh?}”

“The conveyor belts.” Alphys reminds me. “By Tesla I just realized: you haven’t left the lab since you got here, haven’t you!?”

“Uh…” I rack my brain, trying to recall a time I’ve left the lab… only to agree with Alphys after several seconds. “Yeah…”

“Remember the conveyor belts you used to get here?” she asks.

“How could I forget?”

“We were some of the first students to use the conveyor belts to get to school! Because until then, we had placed them on ground level. We should show you the rest of Hotland some time!” Alphys suggests excitedly. “I… I think you’d love it. We can show you around before we take you to the CORE.”

“I’m gonna hold ya to that Alph.”

“Not like I’d forget!”

“Sans Papyrus Annie and Alphys stood out in different ways.” Allen muses. “Them, and the monsters who went to school starting in the 160s. Papyrus embraced the emotional aspect of magic, the more intuitive side. He wasn’t the best at applying human knowledge but he could do quite a bit when he put his mind to it. He drew on the positive vibes from the monsters around him. He brought out the potential of everyone he met. And when he figured out something, he did it well. Why do you think he was hired as a sentry after Gaster died?”

“I never thought about that…” I admit.

Annie mentored Alphys in her human-oriented education.” Touring says with pride. “Teaching her about engineering and the other hard sciences. She excelled there—“

”Damn right she did!’ Murry interrupts him. “She was the best in her science classes! She was basically at the top of her class during all of school! No one doubted she’d work for Gaster as soon as she was done. Hell she started working for him while she was still in school.”

“Gaster you guys don’t have grades right? ‘Cause Dewey said you don’t have colleges.”

“We organize subjects loosely by difficulty and the number of prerequisite subjects, yes, but you are correct; there are no grades, defined as both sequences of classes or evaluations of merit. We utilize placement tests to determine a monster’s knowledge in a subject, particularly for human-based ones. Courses requiring human, psychophysiological, and or soulological knowledge in tandem require the most rigorous exams of all. These placement tests constituted the exception to the rule. However thanks to their upbringing, our children passed them with relative ease.”

“Let’s just say stuff like gravity not just workin’ up and down isn’t the most well-understood by most monsters.” Sans points out. “During the practical exams I took advantage of that. My instructor knew about that aspect of gravity. So she wasn’t surprised I used it. But she couldn’t do it. Her stats were at least five times greater than mine but she still couldn’t do it. The only difference between us was that I could use that knowledge. She couldn’t.

“I told dad ‘bout it. That, and other related incidents. Of supposedly senior monsters bein’ unable to cast magic as precisely as kids my age. Annie did too. Lots of reports came in. Inertia Society members bein’ unable to manipulate matter in one way but not another, though they knew ‘bout both. Purple magic users bein’ able to move objects in straight lines, but not in true 3D, diagonal paths through space. Green magic users bein’ able to heal only certain kinds of wounds, though they’d learned ‘bout more of ‘em.

“He was intrigued. So he conducted the sets of case studies and soulogical trials which led to the Dual Awareness Principle bein’ discovered.”

“All ‘cause of you?”

“Not entirely but yeah: my time in school was part of it. Ya know the expression knowledge is power?”

“Yeah.”

“Right around when Will was born? That’s when Gaster coined monsters’ version of that phrase: ‘magic is a matter of degrees.’

“He convinced parents to send their kids to Inertia Society run schools, ‘cause with the right education, they could cast magic more versatile than their stats’d suggest. Me and Annie and lots of our peers proved that.”

“We actually adopted video game and tabletop gaming terminology to describe monsters’ psychophysiological and soulological attributes after several years of schooling,” Papyrus eagerly adds on. “We realized that monsters’s stats and the colors of magic they are cemented in are imfluenced by a variety of factors. Not least among them being their life experiences. Sans’s instructor may have had more time to hone her skills in a practical setting, but she had not refined them as methodically or rigorously as Sans and myself and our Inertia Society peers. The knowledge of the forces that we had to overcome while casting magic… knowing our limits, and how to exploit the laws of physics… those gave us and anyone who dared to learn about human science that much of an edge.

“What about Alphys?” I ask.

An uncomfortable silence. Chara emits uneasiness. I stop myself from asking them what’s wrong, because I realize that everyone will tell me soon enough. They always do.

Dewey and Murry both sigh. “When she was born we didn’t notice anything wrong. Actually she learned to speak read write and do math far faster than Sans and Paps. But she…”

Dewey sighs again before continuing. “When she began saying longer sentences, she started stuttering. We tried helping her but… only now do I know that at the time, humans’ methods for dealing with those with speech impediments weren’t the most effective. I couldn’t have known that they were so damaging.”

Murry sighs as well. “When she started school, her teachers loved her. She was so eager to talk. She was so smart. She figured things out faster than basically everyone else. But… but her stuttering… no one knew how to react. Her teachers would ask her to repeat herself but… but that’d just fluster her. Kids her age’d get… freaked out… by how she talked. And then she’d stutter worse.

“And before You say that it was just ‘cause of kids being kids, stuff like that hurts monsters much more. It literally changes their fields of knowing, the very compositions of their ethergraphs. They didn’t know what to do and… well you can figure out the rest. Her struggles stunted her psychophysiological growth so much that she couldn’t cast any magic at all. Not in an appreciable amount. She could interact with magitronics but that’s about it.”

“So she couldn’t cast magic but she still worked for you…” I muse, turning toward Gaster. Everyone confirms my suspicions.

Alphys herself eventually says, almost too quietly for me to hear, “The majority of monsters didn’t agree with his decision, to hire me. I was useless, they said. I can’t have been a monster, if I couldn’t cast magic, they said.

I… my…”

After a couple more hesitant sounds, she finally says:

“My parents had raised me wrong, they said.”

“{Fucking hell…}”

Alphys sniffles. “That’s why there are Royal Guard members resigning. Because they don’t like Undyne spending time with monsters like me. Because Undyne’s parents were well-respected. Because they mostly stuck to tradition, even though they were so close to the Inertia Society.

“Because Undyne was… she was…

“She was born how monsters were meant to be born. Lively and strong without help from a machine. And with strong magic… even if that meant her parents couldn’t live through the human equivalent of her youth.”

“What?” I ask reflexively, even though I already know the answer.

“Mm-hmm.” Allen says softly. “Surely Dewey’s told you about the Underground’s fall from grace after Gaster’s death. How monsters lost the will to live, because they had placed all their hope on him, to return us to the surface.”

“Yeah.” I wait for him to continue.

“Booker and Betty… they… Gaster was…

“He was the only monster they trusted. To get us out of here. He was proof to them that monsters didn’t need human technology to succeed—“

“But you mooched off our Internet—“

“They knew that. But they also knew that we’d expanded on human acheevements. We did more with the same information. With enough time, we could have come up with new things without help from humans but… we never reached that point.”

“They…” I trail off, hoping I’m wrong… but I’m greeted by a solemn silence.

Annie butts in, “And before you ask ‘How could you guys say this?’ ‘How could everyone do this to her?’ Just think about it: it was the 1970s. Lots of behaviors were acceptable back then that’d get us fired now.

“No tolerance for people with disabilities… that’s easily one of them.”

I sit up in my chair. ‘Wait wait papyrus! Is that why you said all those things to me? About thinking killing me was a form of mercy? ‘Cause I was too weak to do things on my own? Is that why Toriel was so overprotective of me? Is that—“

“Pauline!” Papyrus begins explaining himself. “You know I never intended that—“

“Why did you say it then?” I shoot back. “Gaster? If you really taught Sans and Paps to respect humans, why didn’t you tell them how to actually treat handicapped people? How--!?”

“I am afraid Papyrus is correct,” Gaster replies. “When they were born, the surface was very much intolerant of those who seemed… abnormal… on their standards. I know from examining your high school education that you are aware of how humans treated those with mental illnesses, or sufficiently-severe physical handicaps. I have no need to go into detail regarding the…”

He says with great sadness in his voice, “Asylums. The unspeakable ‘treatments’ such humans underwent. Many were even misdiagnosed. Or people utilized their ailments as a scapegoat for other problems in their lives.”

With more conviction, and… resentment, he says, “Deviances of all kinds. Physical, mental, and sexual.”

The atmosphere in the room becomes ice-cold.

“For you must understand why such complaints arose around Alphys. Our access to your media, though limited, hammered home a particular set of values. Erroneous? Yes. Biased? Very much so. Centralized around the United States and Europe? Undeniably so. But they were a unified set of values nonetheless, one that many monsters followed or looked up to. This will be explained in time, but know now that only after my passing did the Barrier settle under locations not below western nations with any semblance of regularity.

“Accordingly, a certain subset of the population, one not nearly as minuscule as you may initially assume, posits that Alphys’s stunted soulological development and speech impediments derive from her… her parents.”

“But why!?” I ask without thinking. “Why the fuck—“

“You know why.” Gaster says firmly.”Homophobia ran rampant on the surface. We internalized that behavior, saw it as normal. Even if only a minority of monsters displayed such behavior with such intensity, such behavior became commonplace all the same. We never considered it as behavior to… to call out. simply because we had never conceived of such behavior before.”

“MMM.” Is all I manage to say in reply. {I mean… he ain’t wrong…}

[I still don’t get it! Dewey and Murry did an amazing job raising Alphys! She’s so nice!]

{I know right?}

[I just… it’s so…]

Chara sighs. [Even after all this time I still don’t get it…]

With more conviction, Gaster continues, “Now imagine the backlash when monsters discovered how I birthed Sans and Papyrus, and that as such, I would be compelled to raise them alone. I have already begun receiving mail from the same monsters who ridiculed me before my passing, thrusting the same arguments in my face.”

“They do not think it possible to balance work and home life.” Mettaton summarizes. “The classic dilemma of leaving the work force to raise children, and returning to it several years later, only to find that there is no place for you. Except here, monsters either disapproved of Gaster having children, or Gaster not finding a partner to lay some of the burden on. Even after he’s said in countless interviews that he intentionally decided to have children alone, to test the limits of our CAD&CAD devices. That he did not wish to burden another monster with his experiment. That no other monster alive faced his dilemma. So inevitably, no one could understand him.”

“That’s true…” I muse. “’Cause you were the last skeleton left. And everyone else… wasn’t…” I trail off awkwardly.

“Precisely.” Mettaton encourages. “Now imagine the implications of the CAD&CAD machines creating life. Or in the case of Gaster, reversing death.

“Imagine what these monsters must want from Gaster.

“That their loved ones be resurrected.”

{… … …}

“{By Tesla...}”

“All the monsters who fell down in the wake of our imprisonment underground. They want them back. And they think Gaster can bring them back.”

“But we had his dust—“ I begin to point out.

“They don’t care.”

I reel for a second, trying to figure out who spoke. [Everyone said it. All at once.]

“Gaster came back. They didn’t.

“Gaster doesn’t deserve to live. They do.

“Who will end our imprisonment?

“You will.”

Everyone’s magic humms in the air. I sense my attack and defense dropping, their collective anger and resentment and passion crashing over me—

It’s not theirs.

It’s the crowd.

Everyone who rioted outside… all those who opposed Alphys’s birth… those who opposed sans’s and Papyrus’s creation… this is what they’ve said to them.

These are the emotions they have experienced.

They’re replicating them for me magically.

I breathe sharply, shocked by the weight of their magic being cast at me. I don’t know what to do. I can’t object to what they’re saying, even while I realize that without Gaster, I’d have no chance of leaving the Underground. I recoil from Dewey and Murry. Even while I know that their actions were a product of the time period when Alphys grew up. I can’t help but hate them, even just a little.

“Pauline?”

I continue to sit in thought.

“Pauline.”

Touring calls to me. I take a few seconds to reply, waiting for the magica round me to disappate. “Yeah?”

“Know this: we’re not gonna pretend these accusations don’t hurt us. Hell you probably know how much they hurt us just by sitting here and feeling our fields of knowing. Just know this: don’t feel like you have to hold back. If you’re angry tell us. If you’re upset tell us. It’s better that way. Better than us walking around, feeling your feelings, and not being able to do anything about them ‘cause we don’t wanna force you to tell us.”

I contemplate her words for a moment, before agreeing. “I guess that’s true isn’t it?”

“And besides.” Murry says. “If you’re gonna learn how the CORE works, we’re gonna need honesty and full disclosure from you. ‘Cause we’re gonna be telling you our theories regarding the soulological components of the six colors of magic. And those might get… personal. ‘Cause we realized: if those six humans’ life experiences were used to create the Barrier, and the Barrier’s a closed system, their experiences dictate how magic operates down here. Every time we find out something new about, say, yellow magic, we learn a little about the First Soul of Justice. And--”

He makes a thoughtful sound. “I guess that… that makes us being trapped down here a little more…”

He fumbles for the right word. “Understandable. Not any less horrible but… you might be able to talk it out with us,. That’s how we found out what we know now, by talking to the Second Soul Set. Cross-referencing their experiences with how magic manifested for us and representative samples of the population.”

“Mm-hmm.” I confirm.

After a short silence, Annie speaks up: “Hey mom? Dad? I think we’ve left Laura Amy Robin Grillbs and Undyne alone in the other room too long. They’ll be worrying about us. I left them alone with the Cards Against Humanity box, so who knows what’s going on over there?”

“I don’t hear them yo.” Will corrects his sister, as I cock my head to one side slightly, listening for their voices. “They’re probably being quiet for us. I can’t hear them. They’d sense if we were doing important stuff so--”

“Oh yeah ‘cause monsters’ fields of knowing can be in places they’re not in.” I recall.

“Ya wanna go check ‘em out?” Sans asks, beginning to rise from his seat. “Let’s make sure Robin ain’t—“

“GERSON ! DAMN IT THE OEDEPIS COMPLEX SHOULD HAVE WON! COME ON! I THOUGHT YOU WERE INTO THAT!!”

“Mwhah hah hah! Really? Normally I would agree, but you know that ‘a possible Muslim’ is clearly true! Because monsters do not require oxygen, I am not the biggest fan of chocolate—“

[Booo!]

“—we don’t have Facebook or Netflix. And friends is obvious! I could not live without you.”

Sans stops walking over to me.

It takes me… and from the sound of it, everyone else… only a second to realize that we’re eavesdropping on a Cards Against Humanity game. Everyone part-groans, part sighs, part-laughs, as we listen to Gerson and Undyne bickering in the next room. “{[Awwww.]}”

“That’s weirdly sweet…” I comment… Alphys’s bout of snickering indicating that she agrees with me.

“”We began the game at an opportune time.” Grillby’s voice echoes through the walls. “We should ask them if they want to play.”

“I’ll do it!” Amy enthusiastically offers. “It shouldn’t take long. Robin! You’re card czar!”

A hard slam on a table before Robin begins to speak, accompanied by some footsteps walking down the hallway toward the dining room. “Okay! Hey Grillbs get some cards for everyone else.”

“How many?”

“There are… uh…” Laura pauses, seemingly doing some mental math. “Twelve…? Of them in there. And we’re using seven cards per player so… eighty-four…?”

“Give me a few moments then 

Listen up bitches; ‘cause if you ask me to repeat the card, you can’t answer the prompt this round.”

“What the hell’s happened to ya Robin? I thought ya were better than this…” Sans mutters under his breath.

{[… … …]}

He pauses before reading the card. “Man this is bullshit! Fuck blank!”

“Everyone?” Amy calls to us from her place in the doorway behind me. “Get over there before Robin gets pissed. He’s a rules lawyer now. Apparently.”

She begins to walk toward me—

“{Heh?}”

“Well kid? Let’s not keep ‘im waitin’.”

“SANS! YOU TELEPORTED FIVE FEET--” Papyrus begins to shout, all of us beginning to file out of the room.

“I know bro. Every second counts. I’d think you’d wanna get a card down this round so Robin doesn’t blow your eardrums out--”

“{[SAAAAAANS!]}”

As we walk out the door, Chara suddenly says, trying and failing to suppress laughter, [Oh my by Tesla I just realized! I can read the cards to you so you don’t have to choose them at random!]

I gasp. {Whaaat!?}

[You heard me!]

{Oh my God you’re right!}

[You wanna do it?]

{Hell yeah!}

[Does the thought of everyone getting back together and fucking around for a while fill you with determination?]

{What do you think?}

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Everyone's back together!
> 
> Cue more weird and lewd humor from Robin.
> 
> Some clarification: when I refer to the "180s," and when Gaster refers to the "160s," we're referring to the Dreemurrite calendar decades. The 160s would have been between 1974 and 1984, and the 180s would have been between 1994 and 2004.
> 
> Here's the YouTube link to the Another Medium cover I used in this chapter! It's track 8 of "Fallen: An Undertale tribute." As you can probably tell, I'm using many tracks from that album in this story...
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8qZVNNlTypE
> 
> I used this version since it's calming, and yet still conveys the futuristic connotations of the original, by playing at a constant, rhythmic pace. It complements the societal developments the Inertia Society discover, and subsequently put into place very well.
> 
> I've been searching for a good Another Medium cover to use for when I eventually explore Hotland. I love the version from Clickertale 2, but I can't find it anywhere. If anyone knows where to find it, post a link to it in the comments please... no intricate spoiler tags required.
> 
> *sighs* Here's my thought process for Alphys's backstory, as well as I can explain it...
> 
> It was inspired by 1: some very very deep headcanons, and 2: a study now commonly called the Monster Study. Here's a link to a YouTube video explaining its... purpose...
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zZ3l1jgmYrY#T=03M08S
> 
> Listen from about 3:05 until about 4:55.
> 
> Yeah... the Monster Study provided ample inspiration for Alphys and how she developed her speech impediment and her stunted soulological and psychophysiological development...
> 
> As for the parts about Dewey and Murry being blamed for Alphys's setbacks? It was just inevitable. Let's just say, when I realized that monsters would have been consuming media which was homophobic, and that us humans hadn't yet realized that this is immoral... yeah... that was... horrifying, to say the least. They only would have known such behavior was damaging decades later. Everyone would have been subject to such conditioning... even the Curies. Even though measures which set standards for human experimentation existed, the public hadn't yet begun treating those with disabilities of all kinds in... a not-as-crappy way.
> 
> Also, some realizations:
> 
> Conservatively, if I don't end up straying away from my original idea along the way, Chara and I should arrive in New Home at the beginning of the fifth chapter after this one. There isn't much left to write, even though there's several months of time left to kill. What will succeed this chapter is almost certainly the most well thought-out. Actually, I thought of the beginning and end of the story before I thought of the rest. I'll try my best to update regularly from now on, since this is the part of the story I've been looking forward to writing the most.
> 
> However, no guarantees, because life...


	35. Chapter 35

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to the longest chapter to date, at over 8600 words... and more feels!
> 
> The chapters from now on are the most well thought-out of the entire story. Accordingly, I have a request to ask of you all, one which I'll make for essentially every chapter from now on.
> 
> If feasible, please use the music annotations while reading this chapter. They're important to set the tone.
> 
> Why am I asking this for this particular chapter, you may ask?
> 
> "I cannot fight.  
> "I cannot think.  
> "But, with patience, I will make my way through."  
> —A sign in the CORE

35

… … … “{[Yes!]}”

Alphys congratulates me. “Good job. I’m surprised you kept the Oedepis Complex card for so long and didn’t play it on someone else!”

“I mean like, I’m shuffling my hand and putting down the one on the bottom so… I don’t know it could happen.”

“I’m surprised you managed to wake up so damn early!” Robin near-shouts from his seat across from me at the table. “’Cause seriously it’s like, six A.M in California right now!”

“I don’t even know what time it is anymore… I just set my phone to wake me up however many hours it is after I get in bed. So like, nine or ten or something.”

“I’m trying to set my sleep schedule so it’s the same as Japan time!” Alphys begins to ramble as Chara reads out my cards, and I discard the ones I don’t want to use anymore. “It’s been going okay. I can teach you soulology stuff and still have time to watch all the anime live streams live! Either that or hacking into the anime-streaming web sites—“

‘You mention this a little too casually for my liking,’ Grillby somehow manages to sound uncomfortable, even after his soul is filtered through his text-to-speech device.

“I mean,” Alphys counters, “the Inertia Society’s been hacking human computers for a long time. It’s the only way we can get certain information. And there’s no better way so…”

“Alphys?” verbally, Dewey gently pries his daughter away from her discussion before it goes on for too long. “I got a text from Sans. Pauline, the Moores, Crusoe, the Stacies, and the Gasters have to get ready soon. There’s one more thing we have to do to celebrate you and Paps’s birthdays.”

“Which I still don’t get. I mean like my birthday’s twenty days after his…--”

“It’s for convenience’s sake,” Laura explains. “Celebrating birthdays in clusters is kinda common. Especially if they’re close together—“

“But it’s like three weeks after his—“

“For monsters three weeks is more like three days,” Robin suddenly seems much less boisterous. “I mean monsters live for hundreds of years and aren’t considered adults at a set age…”

He trails off, knowing that I can finish his thought.

“But what are we doing?” I begin to ask. “You already made us cake like the one from Portal. And Paps made me those awesome Magic card proxies. Hell he hacked the Wizards web site for that!”

“You’ll have to see.”

‘But Dewey. She can’t do that—‘

“{[GRILLBY!]}”

[what the hell’s happened to him? I thought he was the reasonable one!]

{It’s YouTube’s fault!}

‘I didn’t mean to offend you. I was only joking. For the most part—‘

“I know I know I just didn’t expect that!”

‘I’ll put away the cards. Have fun. Have Papyrus send us pictures—‘

“You’re not?“ I ask

Dewey reiterates.”Sans only said you, the Moores, Crusoe, the Stacies, and his family are going. We’re not. Someone has to keep watch over the lab while you’re all gone—“

“Good point.” I agree, as I stand from my seat. “Tell him I’ll be ready soon.”

“He just texted—“ Murry’s voice becomes slightly muffled, as he looks down at his phone, “—that he’s—wait wait why the hell are you walking up and down that hallway Sans hell no you’re not waiting for her like that!?”

“What?”

Murry sighs exasperatedly. “Just get changed before he starts stalking you… even more than usual.”

We all shudder… but especially Chara.

… … … “Where do you think we’re going?” Chara asks from beside my bookshelf. I push my dirty clothes into the Dimensional Box which leads to the washing machine, on the floor below ours.

“I don’t know but we’re going out. I mean Alphys said she wanted to show me around Hotland a while ago so…”

“True.” Chara walks over to me and hands me my bag. “Your phone’s charged all the way. I was holding it so it’d charge—“

“Thanks dude—“

“No problem. I’m just… I wanna know where we’re going! I’m so excited!”

Though they have every right to feel excited, Chara’s been asking about where we’re going for the past ten minutes. They know full well that I can’t answer their question, so why do they keep asking? All I want is some quiet time before the craziness which is… everyone.

At this Moment, I remember that Chara’s elementary school-aged. Their excitement reminds me of the same general mix of loud and obnoxious as the younger kids I had to endure at parties back at home. {Ugh…}

“What you think I can’t hear you!?”

I try to make up for my behavior, but Chara cuts me off. “Look man it’s fine: you didn’t and still don’t really like hanging out with kids ‘cause they’re annoying and keep talking about the same things and annoy everyone and never shut up and always touch you when you don’t want to be touched—“

“Yeah yeah I get it I get it—“

“I mean you’re not wrong.

“But you’re not annoyed at me.” Chara points out the obvious. “Well you can be but you know what I mean—“

“Yeah I do—“

“But yeah: you like me. That’s… rare.”

Chara’s behavioral age jumps from about eight or nine to around my age, if not older, in a matter of seconds.

“Not that many people liked me in school. Not even my teachers did—“

“Dude like it’s okay—“ I automatically begin to reply, only for Chara to interrupt me again. “I don’t know. It’s not. But… I don’t know.” They suddenly seem very apathetic. “You think I’m okay. You understand me. We’re both hyped to go out with everyone.”

[So let’s get the hell out of here and see if Sans’s still walking up and down the hallway waiting for us—]

“{[Ugh…]}”

{Nothing can make that sound okay…}

After a few minutes of walking and riding longivators, Chara and I finally arrive in the lobby of the Inertia Society headquarters. Cane in hand, I’m about to walk forward and look for the doors, when a… a voice… stops me. “Hold on! Pauline! We have to ask you something!”

“{Heh?}”

Running footsteps from behind me, and fast breathing. ‘It’s me. Reed! From Undermail!”

I finally recognize his voice and turn around. “Duuuuude it’s beeeen foreeeeever!”

“I know right?” he rhetorically replies. “Wrighte and I heard you were gonna go out today.”

“Yeah.”

“We wanted to ask you for a favor.”

“What is it?”

“We wanted to film your reactions to Hotland. The Curies, Wrighte, Mettaton, and I are gonna commentate. You just have to--”

Chara takes control of my left hand. A pair of thin, oval-shaped objects land in my palm. “—wear these earphones so we can hear each other.”

“Okay.” I consent to his offer as I position them on my head.

“And we just got Sans’s permission to put a Go Pro cam-like thing on your glasses. A first person view kinda thing.”

“Yeah makes sense.”

“It was the least invasive thing we could think of. He’ll put it on when he gets here so can you hand me your glasses? Everyone’ll see what you would’ve been looking at if you could see. But mostly it’ll be a black screen. Every few minutes we’ll show the images but besides that that’s it.”

“[Whoa that sounds cool!]”

“I’m not really the right one to talk about this, but everyone’s really interested in how you like…”

[He, looks like he’s concentrating really hard--]

“--do stuff.” He eventually says. “‘Cause, hmm…

“I know: during the Fireside Chat monsters saw the 3D-printed signs and asked why they were there. And why they were bumpy. And didn’t have regular letters on them.”

“They don’t know about braille—“ I begin to ask.

“Of course not!” Reed answers. “You literally haven’t left the Lab since you got here! And Wrighte and I can’t film you. And even when we can we don’t. ‘Cause we don’t wanna screw up and we’re scared we’re gonna have a…”

He gulps. “A bad time—“

“Heh heh heh heh. As you should.”

“{[Ahhhh!]}”

“FUCK!”

“{[Robin!]}”

“Eh! Pauline!”

“Dude you need to stop doing this! This is NOT okay!”

[Wow… I haven’t seen Amy this flustered since we played that ‘kids with ass cancer’ card that one time--]

{But she asked for it the black card asked what caused America’s decline!}

[STILL!]

“What: ya thought I was gonna pass that up? That was a perfect opportunity.”

“STILL!”

“Amy,” her sister attempts to calm her down, “let’s get out of here before you start sounding like Papyrus more than you already do—“

“How is this detrimental in any way?” Papyrus asks as we walk out the door. “You should damn well know that I am not the worst monster you could emulate in terms of speech patterns!”

Reed calls “Good luck!” to me as the door shuts behind us, and we walk outside into the--

“{Awww fuck it’s hot!}”

[We talked about this--]

{Shut up!}

“Seriously though.” Robin properly begins talking to me on my right side, “who are you gonna hold on to? I know you have the stick of doooom but… I don’t know if monsters’ll get out of the way ‘cause no one’s told them what it is yet.”

“I never thought of that,” I admit, groping for his arm. I eventually find the spot where his elbow would be if he were human. We begin chatting eagerly among ourselves, the quiet murmurs of the Undermail staff’s commentary underlying it all. At some point, Sans shortcuts my glasses to me, and I put them on.

After a few hundred feet, Alphys’s voice echoes in my earphones. “Okay guys. Stop here.”

Everyone stops. “I have something to tell Pauline before we go on.”

“Sure.” I prompt her.

*Loop until the next note.*

https://soundcloud.com/user815390209/another-medium-visiontale-edition

“I know I did this when you first got here but… I think it’d be more meaningful to do it now. You’re so much more knowledgeable about what we had to do to reach this point in our technological and societal development than you were back then.

“What we’re about to show you… it was made possible only after centuries of work. Of experimentation. Of monsters following even the smallest sparks of an idea to their conclusion, whatever it may be.”

YOU GOT THIS ALPHYS!!!”

“{[Ahhh!]}”

“Undyne!” Even from so far away, I can tell Gaster’s distinct voice sounds startled. “Please! At this rate Pauline will go deaf by the end of the month! Papyrus and Robin already subject her to an unhealthy concentration of loud noises without your input!”

“{[True.]}” Annie, Sans, Chara, and I agree simultaneously.

“Undyne I’m with Gaster on this one!” Alphys’s indignant, squeaky voice replies. “I was—you—“

She takes a couple breaths and composes herself.

“Well there’s no point in delaying it anymore, since you know that what I’m gonna say actually means something.

“On behalf of the Inertia Society, the Dreemurr royal family, and all of monsterkind, I, Alphys Durkheim Curie, am pleased to formally welcome you to Hotland: the most densely-populated and technologically-advanced region of the Underground.”

… … … “Yeah I remember that.”

“Well,” Alphys says in my ear as our group zips along a conveyor belt, “the thing is is that I never told you why we use these conveyor belts instead of paved roads to get around. Basically, they accommodate flying monsters and those who can’t walk normally and those who can’t fit in a car. So monsters can get around as fast as if they were driving or using public transportation, or even faster!.

“Metal and concrete pillars hold the belts up. The main set are about fifty feet high. Monsters on ground level walk on either side of them. And even larger pillars form intersections where belts meet. Stairs and lifts help monsters get up here. And then they choose which belt to use.”

“So they’re like streets but with no traffic laws…’

Everyone around me, and everyone in the streaming room in the Lab, laughs. “Kind of…” Wrighte faintly replies. “Trust me there are still traffic jams, just non-vehicular ones. I’d know from trying to meet up with colleagues in this damn place. Actually right now you’re passing one of Undermail’s distributing centers. It’s inside a larger office complex.

“Buildings like apartment or office complexes have decks at either end. Or along the sides, if they’re large enough. They house belts leading to and from them. Hell shorter buildings even have terminals with belts leading to the higher floors of taller buildings next door on their roofs!”

“Duuuude…”

The commentators laugh again. “Yeah it sounds crazy.” Dewey says, “but it’s not so bad. It’s just efficient. We don’t have streets on ground level so it’s not like they’ll fall on top of as many potential pedestrians.”

“{[That’s not morbid at aaaaaall…”]}

“And the best part is is that they’re not completely useless if the power’s turned off. Like what the Inertia Society and Royal Guard had to do during the riots last month. Even if the power’s turned off, monsters can still use them. We’re taking advantage of the vertical space since Hotland’s surface area’s hella small. Murry admits. “We had to make the most of what we had.

“If you want I can teach you how to get around on them and orient you to how they work.”

“Sounds sweet!” I exclaim as Robin nudges me. “We’re getting off,” he whispers in my ear.

“It’d be a little hard cause the belts only move if they detect magic emanating from a monster. They can’t detect determination—“

“Wait what!?”

Murry corrects himself. “I mean your cemented form of magic’s determination and we made these before we knew about it. The belts may activate themselves prematurely around you if someone walks by you while you’re trying to get on. They’ll respond to them instead.

“But what you can do is activate it manually. There are controls to activate the belts at either end, on the side. They’re easy enough to find.”

“Another thing though.” Robin pipes up. “You could count conveyor belts to get to places. Like to get to… wherever we’re going, you just have to count how many belts we rode. And most of the big ones meet at right angles so… mobility’ll be easy!”

Someone whistles. “Damn Robin: who knew ya had it in ya? Ya have a good point. I hadn’t thought of that. And Murry? Thank Tesla you guys installed those manual controls...”

{Sans was the one who whistled right?}

[Yeah.]

“I thought you’d freak out about this,” Laura raises her voice as we board another conveyor belt, the composite magic and metal surface humming to life under my feet. “’Cause they move pretty fast. And they respond to soulological stimulus. Which she can’t really do on command yet—“

“Think ‘bout it this way,” Sans says pointedly as the conveyor belt slows, nearing its end. “Pauline learned to get ‘round the Inertia Society headquarters. Hell the first day she got there she did it without a cane. These are nothin’ by comparison. At least they don’t get blocked by supply bins. And till then she can use the manual controls. Although we have to braille the signs at the intersections markin’ the terminals. That’ll take time.”

“I’ve taught some Snowdin residents braille,” Amy tells us as we begin descending the stairs carved into the side of a terminal. “They can design them for you and send you the CAD&CAD files. So all you have to do is print them. ‘Cause I heard how long it took you to label everything in the Lab…”

“Oh man: you have no idea. It took forever…”

Sans chuckles, though he doesn’t seem all that amused. “I like this idea. Heya MTT could ya post somethin’ on your Undernet page askin’ for designs? Have ‘em send ‘em to the Hotland Travel Committee.”

“Of course!” Mettaton’s eager voice sounds in my ear as we walk along what’s presumably a sidewalk, the chatter of monsters surrounding me. “I’ll write it up and send it to you for your approval.”

We stop walking as Sans says, “Thanks man.” And begins… walking away?

{Where’s he going?}

[…]

{Chara?}

[You’ll see. Trust me.]

After a few seconds, Sans walks back toward us. “Thanks for crowd-sourcin’ this for us MTT.”

“It’s no problem Sans! I would have cobbled together the monsterpower necessary, even if you hadn’t asked. After all, my fans are dedicated. And they care about far more than my latest fashion statement, darling.”

{He’s talking about me right?}

[Uh… yes…?]

“I wish you could read everyone’s support for you in the chat! They’re simply ecstatic to see you out of the Lab. And I have to ask: how are you liking it?”

I begin to reply: “It’s cool. Hot but… ehh.”

[Sans wipe that smile off your face…]

As Robin, the rest of the group, and I walk forward, Amy calls to me from in front of us: “The elevator’s in twenty feet.”

“{What elevator?}

[Sans walked over to press the elevator button earlier--]

{Okay…?}

I continue, “It’s cool! It’s like the flat escalators at the airport but they’re everywhere!”

My shoes clink against the elevator’s metal floor, and we edge closer together so we can fit inside. The door hisses close behind us.

Mettaton resumes talking--

Mettaton begins talking again as the elevator begins… descending.

“I should have Undermail write an article about it, making note of the best comments. Because I know—“ he emphasizes “know” “—you’ll love them. “If for no other reason because Xenoblade memes’ve caught on, you know.”

“Seriously?!”

“Oh; I’m serious.” Mettaton repeats… suggestively…?

I’m about to snark back at him, when someone clears their throat.

“Ehm… everyone?

Even the Undermail commentators fall silent.

“Yeah Paps?” I ask.

“I… I wanted to bring up… some important things.”

Shuffling footsteps from everyone around me.

“First, Pauline: think about what you heard outside. Specifically,” he emphasizes, “how, it sounded. I want you to think about it very hard.”

Papyrus seems to have moved so he’s standing in front of me, rather than in the corner like before.

I got you!” Robin guides me until we’re standing next to Papyrus. I recall the whirring of the conveyor belts on ground level, the omnipresence of monsters’ voices, the clicking and beeping and whining of machines, magical and mechanical.

“Have you thought about how the ground level sounded?” Papyrus asks.

“Yeah.”

“Did you notice anything?”

[Paps by Tesla give us some personal space--]

“Uh… what was I spposed to notice?”

“Well… you heard the conveyor belts, didn’t you?”

“Yeah.”

{[Duh.]}

“And you heard all the monsters talking as they passed, right?” Papyrus continues.

“Where are you going with this?”

“You could hear them equally.” he states, as if it’s as obvious as the earth orbiting the sun.

“Yeah so?”

“SO!?”

Papyrus responds with the passion and loudness I’ve come to expect from him. “SO!? Think about it human! Up there, you can hear the conveyor belts and the monsters around you equally! The former isn’t drowning out the latter.

“In layman's terms: the conveyor belts make as little noise as mechanisms as large as them can make. They are so efficient that you can hear monsters’ conversations as clearly as if the conveyor belts weren’t even there. The congestion of your highways; the incessant drone of traffic; the unbearable shriek of tires on asphalt; the completely uncalled-for revving of engines don’t exist here at all.”

The enormity of Papyrus’s statement slowly dawns on me. “You don’t have cars so you don’t have traffic—“

A now-welcome, but still out of nowhere, pair of skeletal arms wrapping around me, my face nearly smothered by a scarf smelling of tomato sauce, even after being washed. “HUMAN! I’M proud you’ve made these inferences but... this is only the first important thing I wanted you to do.

“I want you to stand still and… perceive… what is around you. I want you to use your field of knowing to perceive any changes in the ambient ether around you. For you must feel it! You must’ve felt it as soon as you first arrived here!”

“Must’ve felt what?”

Papyrus backs out of our hug enough so I can let go of him. I clasp my hands in front of me and stand still, eyes shut.

At least, I try to stand still, until I realize I can’t stay still, no matter how hard I try.

I continually shift in place, every movement magnified, every movement seeming to occur with no effort, as if…

As if…

As if I’m walking on air.

Like when I first arrived in Hotland…

It doesn’t take me long to sense what Papyrus wants me to sense.

The elevator floor below my feet, the air around me… my very soul… vibrate.

A sharp tingling runs over my entire body, like the fizz of a soda against my tongue and the roof of my mouth, but it’s an all-encompassing sensation. The scent of ozone fills the air. The floor vibrates underfoot, like when Sans uses a particularly large amount of his… his yellow magic.

There’s a large amount of yellow magic around me.

Yellow, blue, and orange magic.

Papyrus’s shadow blocks out some of the light in the elevator as he walks toward me again. In a quieter, but still impassioned voice, he asks, leaning down so he is closer to me, “You feel it, don’t you?”

I’m about to answer, but he continues speaking. “No.

“I know you can feel it.

“I can see it, in the way your soul glows with an intense light. A light which is not your own. A vibrant yellow light.

“All of us are. Everything is. Everything is glowing a brilliant gold. Even an untrained human could sense such a massive amount of yellow magic…”

In awe, Papyrus almost whispers, “We are basking in the light of monsterkind’s greatest achievement.”

{No way…}

[You think he’s lying?]

{no no I just…}

He shifts his position. He calls over his scapula, “Gaster?”

[He nodded at him.]

“It is time.

“It is time Pauline witness the true scope of your accomplishments. It is only fair you guide her now.”

As the elevator dings to a stop, Papyrus moves away from me, Gaster’s light blue magic cutting a swath through the yellow magic around us. “Take my arm human.”

Before he’s even finished speaking, I move so I am on his left side, folding up my cane and placing it in my bag, my fingers eventually grasping the joint connecting his humerus to his lower arm.

Stop the music.

We walk out of the elevator, the rest of our group following close behind. After a few steps, Gaster stops, raising his voice so he can be heard over the—

Gaster raises his voice so he can be heard over the nearby roar of machines…

*Loop until the next note.*

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tXvjtwWyFvc

“{No.

“{No way we can’t be--}”

[Oh: we are.] I haven’t heard and felt Chara’s excitement so tangibly before. Not even when I met Sans.

“Pauline?”

I sense the magic surrounding Gaster increasing in intensity. I silently wait for him to continue.

“It is a momentous honor to stand before you alongside my colleagues today, in this place.

“What you are about to experience is my magnum opus. Even greater than the discovery of determination! Even greater than the invention of CAD&CAD machines! Even greater than the conception of the Dual Awareness Principle of soulology.

“Nay; what you are about to witness outshines them all. Any and every monster alive today can tell you so. Whether they are a fervent loyalist or vehement opponent.”

“{We can’t be…}”

[Oh: we are.]

“I, Dr. Wingdings Tesla Gaster, King Asgore Dreemurr’s Royal Scientist, and head of the Inertia Society, wish to formally welcome you to the Central Operation Repurposing Ether. Or, as you know it, the CORE.”

I’ve barely processed what Gaster’s told me before he whisks me off toward the noise. As enthusiastic as she sounded, Alphys’s explanation of the belts in Hotland seems downright dry in comparison to Gaster and his exposition on the CORE. “As I know you have heard from my sons, the CORE supplies the Underground with the magic required to power our devices, by harvesting the ambient ether emitted by the Barrier. In such a high temperature and ether-concentrated environment, the mechanisms collecting and redistributing the ether perform their designated functions far more efficiently than if such operations had occurred aboveground. For, as we have taught you, orange magic, which expedites movement, operates optimally under circumstances where great energies abound.”

After a minute or so of walking, we stop, and I sense a wall to our right. He slides his arm out of my grip, placing my hand on some warm, vibrating tubes. I follow their curvature up and down the wall, snaking along the metal surface. “From 131X to 146X, monsters throughout the entire Underground contributed pieces of ethermetrical artwork to the various rooms within the CORE, during all stages of its construction. Specifically, the tubes, and their colors, complement the color or colors of magic of the greatest intensity within that particular room. We currently stand in a room predominantly containing blue magic; accordingly, the tubes in this room glow either a similar shade of blue or red. Unbeknownst to us at the time, determination manifests as red constructs. We saw such a color scheme as aesthetically pleasing, and thus, approved its use.”

I remove my hand from the tube and hold onto Gaster’s arm again, and he continues walking. “That’s funny though that there’s red things in here and you only found out about determination now.”

We slowly walk up some metal stairs. “I heard,” Robin seems, conspiratorial… “that the red tubes represent blood. Human blood. ‘Cause if we were human, we could say that we put our blood, sweat, and tears into making the CORE—“

“Oh…” we groan, Sans’s laughing faintly from behind us.

“The symbolism’s there yeah…” Allen uneasily agrees. “Although it’s… a bit morbid…”

We reach the top of the stairs and walk forward a little longer, before Gaster stops again. “In front of you,” he raises his voice so he can be heard over the din of machines around us, “is a bridge connecting two clusters of magitronic consoles which monitor the progression of the ether through the CORE, two among many. They ensure that it traverses the most efficient path through the facility. Apparatuses containing orange magic diffuse the processed magic along massive tubes, in the ceiling and below our feet. Those tubes end in purple magic-induced modules, which facilitate the yellow magic’s transport throughout the Underground.

“Detectors of a similar construction, mounted atop buildings or artificially-constructed poles, deliver the magic to devices in need of it, in a monster’s home or a public setting. Their paths are set due to the nature of purple magic, and its single-minded dedication to a goal. Thus, we have no need for wires save in the most essential cases, like governmental or emergency service facilities.”

We continue walking, my feet passing over a groove in the metal. “The CORE is never fully operational. In fact, the majority of the facilities are unused. However, we always prime them in case one fails. Or, more generally, in order to account for the expansions we must inevitably make as the Underground’s population and ether consumption rises.

“Case in point? The bridge I have decided to lead you on to, and the other bridges leading off of it, span the chasm between several clusters of processing modules and redistribution-monitoring instruments. Only the one which marked the beginning of this bridge, and the one we will pass when we step off this bridge, are actually fully operational. The rest, though properly cared for and inspected for defects like the rest, lie in wait, in case we need to use them. Accordingly, the employees can alter the configuration of the bridges connecting the processing modules, and even the layout of the rooms, to create an environment more conducive to efficient ether processing.”

“So it’s exactly like the test chambers in Portal 2,” Amy observes as we step off the bridge. “’Cause you guys can make the layout whatever you want. Just like GLaDOS.”

“’Cept Ggaster’s not sendin’ Inertia Society members down here for testin’--”

“SANS! DON’T EVEN LAUGH AT THAT!”

“Oh come on Paps Amy led us there ‘erself. And seriously we even have Thermal Discouragement Beams. Ya should show ‘er some.”

“We are passing by some ether emissions in transit as we speak,” Gaster reassures his son as we navigate some twists and turns in the metal walkways. “Actually… hmm… this should not cause any indelible harm—“

“{Oh. That’s reassuring…}”

“—may I have your hand?”

“{[… Suuuure…?]}”

I let go of Gaster, who orients me so I stand at the railing at the edge of the walkway. He extends my right arm out over the side, edging my body closer to the railing gradually. “Monsters can sense the ether in transit here without having to approach it so closely… if you reach forward the slightest amount, you should feel it—“

I follow his instructions, only to pull my hand back, a sudden shock-like sensation running down my arm. As Gaster suspected, it’s not particularly painful, just startling.

“That was yellow magic, bein’ moved to the right place with purple magic, but bein’ moved faster than normal by orange magic. Sans explains from behind me. “It reacts if somethin’ stops it from movin’ to the next purple module. Which ya did, when ya stuck your hand in it.

“Ether moves cyclically through this place. Every few seconds some ether passes through. So if ya want to feel the magic without it hurtin’ ya, ya have to move your hand through it and not just hold it out there. If you wanna feel some light blue magic, that's when ya have to hold your hand still. It’s real concentrated. Call it a laser, if ya want. Although we can use ‘em as Thermal Discouragement Beams if we need to, for security purposes.”

I’m unsure of how to respond to Sans’s last statement, other than “{Okay…?}”

“It’s true though,” Amy informs me as Gaster re-positions my hand on his arm and continues walking. “You must’ve seen the puzzles in Snowdin right? Somehow you got through those without anyone helping you. Sans’s right. If they needed to, the employees could make the lasers go across the bridges and keep intruders out. Or unauthorized employees out… I guess.”

*Finish listening to the loop you’re on, then stop it.*

“Actually, I planned for that from the beginning.”

Touring, who’s been silent until now, at last speaks up from the back of the group. “I realized that the CORE was vulnerable by design, there being few entrances and exits. All of them save a select few required magic to run. So I thought: if a human ever did get here, the employees could alter the layout, to impede their progress. To buy time to let everyone escape. And humans’ inability to sense the danger would provide them ample opportunities to be trapped by the lasers, and eventually apprehended by Royal Guard members, trained to fight within this space.”

We walk through a doorway into a narrow, high-ceilinged hallway, the clamor of the previous room… space… wherever we were before… soon fading away. “And Kari went through here…” I recall, from my study of the Second Six Souls.

“She would have.” Touring walks closer to Gaster and I as we lead the group down another hallway, still farther away from the chaos outside. “Kari made it pretty far into Hotland. But… but the employees here freaked out. Real bad. They… they disobeyed my orders. Mine, and Dewey’s and Alphys’s. They activated the lasers and shut themselves in the most secure section of the CORE. Royal Guard members were given orders to fill her with bullets on sight.

“We never told you before but… she actually made it pretty far. She’d stayed a long time, talking with the other souls. They gave her advice on how to get through. But she didn’t make it. She died with her revolver in her hand, still hot with yellow magic.”

“Where… where did she…”

“It was right outside.” Dewey tells me through my earphones. “That platform Gaster showed you? That’s where it happened. If she’d gone a little farther she would have made it to the center of the CORE. She could’ve activated any of the emergency exit protocols. She could’ve either taken the elevator to New Home or opened the door to the staircase leading up to the same place. She could’ve channeled the ambient ether and cast it to defend herself. But… but she was shot in the back, and fell over the side into the mass of machinery below, where the rest of the Royal Guards present finished her off.

“She died instantly.”

I stop, letting go of Gaster. I stand silently for a moment. {She… she died here.

{I walked by where she died…

“{By Tesla…}” is all I manage to say aloud.

Everyone’s magic ebbs somewhat around me, Gaster’s attack and defense dropping to below sixty--

Below fifty-five--

Below fifty…

Chara and I hold our breath, afraid of what will happen to him.

His stats eventually rise back up to fifty-five after an eternity of waiting. When his attack and defense reach that point, he takes my hands in his, facing me, and… and…

He clasps my hands in his, turning to face me, kneeling so he is as close to eye level with me as possible.

“Kari would have been the first human to lay eyes upon the most integral, the most groundbreaking, the most ambitious, subsection of the CORE. However monsterkind’s desire to roam free destined her to die.”

The… bitterness… in Gaster’s voice rolls off him in waves. With every word, my HP ticks down by the slightest amount, from forty-eight to forty-seven. From forty-seven to forty-six... until it settles at forty.

“At least… at least you may witness the culmination of my decades upon decades of work.”

In a gentler tone, he warns me, “The room we are about to enter is sensory overload, but not in the manner you may initially suppose. It is not nearly as cacophonous as the rest of the CORE but… if you imagined that the rest of the CORE was chaotic before--”

He laughs… and so does Allen, Touring, and the rest of the Gasters. “—what you are about to experience will alter your perceptions, I assure you. It is chaotic in its own way.

“Most importantly it will constitute a soulological sensory overload. To my knowledge, this room possesses the highest concentration of magic in the Underground.”

Gaster rises so we stand hand in hand. “Shall we?”

Everyone’s footsteps echoing behind us through a metal door, which slides open for us, is the only answer I need.

When I first walk in the room, I don’t immediately sense the supposedly-massive ether levels Gaster warned me about. I hear a deep rumble nearby, but it’s not unbearably loud. Somehow, Chara and I feel… let down.

That is, until I try taking a step forward, and begin falling… my feet leaving the floor so I lie face down, floating in midair.

“Oh crap someone get her!” Robin shouts from… from behind us… from below us…

We’re not even sure of which direction we’re facing anymore…

The familiar grip of blue magic surrounds my body, and an equally-familiar “Gneh heh heh!” sounds close to my right… left… near my head. “Human!? I, Papyrus Wingdings Gaster, have grabbed a hold of you! You have no reason to fear. Although, I will be forced to hold your body rigid as long as we remain in this room, for the concentrations of blue and orange magic ease and magnify movement of all kinds! Only those with strong magic can stabilize themselves here.”

”But I have determination,” I point out, turning my body toward Papyrus, who begins walking, holding my prone body aloft.

“The forces at play here are far greater than those possessed by even the human soul! Actually, they are as strong as seven human souls!”

“Wait what?”

Gaster calls to us from somewhat far away: “Papyrus? Stop in approximately thirty feet, on the right side of this walkway.”

He continues giving Papyrus directions as we walk. “—walk more slowly. These walkways suffer constant strain, from existing in the presence of such powerful--yes. Stop here. Everyone? Gather round and cast any magic you have which may root Pauline to the floor. Pauline? If you are able, please stand up.”

Papyrus sets me down on my back on the grated metal floor. It shakes rapidly under me as I manage to push myself onto my knees, and then stand. AS soon as I do, green, blue, and purple magic envelop me, counteracting the force exerted by the magic—ether—in the air.

At Least, until Sans says from next to me, “Guys I got this. Just… Touring? Robin? Back me up okay?”

Most of the green and purple magic fades away, replaced with blue magic. “Dad what were ya sayin’?”

“This,” Gaster talks as he walks toward me, eventually grasping my right hand in his left once more, “is the site of my last experiment.

“After rigorous analyses of the results of the multitude of experiments, case studies, and surveys conducted before it, Annie, Murry, and I arrived here. The data which inspired me to design this experiment was collected between approximately 166X and 181X. Inertia Society members call this period the Soul Search: the first time monsterkind endeavored to investigate the nature of the soul, human or monster, in a methodical, scientific fashion.

“Aye; in the past, we had discovered disparate traits of the then-known six colors of magic by scouring primary source documents, interviewing monsters who had survived the war, and through anecdotal evidence. However, my colleagues and I wished to discover any inconsistencies in our preexisting theories by studying the Barrier.”

“The First Seven Souls imbued the Barrier with their personal conceptions of magic.” Annie edges closer to Gaster and I. “The First Soul of Patience, from what the Inertia Society could gather from observing monsters who used it, seemed to believe that immediate action toward monsterkind was hasty. So they decided to imprison us down here, until humankind could figure out what to do with us.

“The First Soul of Bravery saw their sacrifice as, well, a brave one. That they had to act now, so that monsters could never rise up and make a comeback.”

“So them and the First Soul of Patience did it for different reasons but they still did it.”

“Exactly.” Everyone says.

“The First Soul of Integrity probably thought they were doing something honorable yo,” Will catches me by surprise. “They must’ve thought that creating the Barrier was moral, even though it was basically the same as burying a human alive. But I think that’s being hypocritical.”

“And we talked about the First Soul of Kindness already.” Dewey reminds me of my first experience with a magitronic circuit, so long ago.

“The First Soul of Perseverance is, frankly, someone I empathize with far more than I dare to admit,” Gaster says sadly. “For they were a being of science. They believed in the forward progress of humankind so strongly that they were even willing to sacrifice their life in order to ensure that it continued, by participating alongside their fellow humans in the most bold experiment of all.”

“The First Soul of Determination’s the easiest to understand.” Laura states the obvious. “They didn’t know how strong they were. Only that they wanted us to be trapped down here. So that’s what they did. As far as we can tell, they’re the reason why a human would need the power of their own soul and a monster soul to cross the barrier. Only a being with that kind of power could overcome someone with such a strong will.”

“The First Soul of Justice must’ve thought: ‘They deserve this. I’m doin’ humankind a favor by trappin’ ‘em down here. Humans are the majority. So our morals must be right.’”

Sans’s words aren’t his own.

My skin prickles as his yellow magic seeps out into the environment.

He continues speaking, his resentment compounding with every word. “’I’m not gettin’ blood on my hands so I’m not really doin’ anythin’ wrong. An eye for an eye. Their souls for ours.’”

My HP, attack, and defense lower slightly with every word, and Chara… withdraws from me.

Sans exhales, seemingly finished with his… his rant. Still sounding bitter, he says, “Monsters never thought ‘bout the humans’ motivations for trappin’ us for a long time. Only that humans were stronger than us. So we might as well let ourselves fall down. ‘Cause they’d spared no pains to trap us. Nothin’ could leave the Underground. That was somethin’ we found out soon as we tried sendin’ letters and things through it, when it first appeared.”

Silence, only punctuated by the roar of machines around us, which now seems much less loud than before.

“heh heh heh heh heh.

“At least, that’s what we thought.”

He laughs some more, louder, more impassioned. Chara mentally flinches, completely taken aback by his reaction. I follow their lead… but only for a moment.

It takes me a couple seconds to realize that Sans’s laugh isn’t bitter or angry, like Chara and I initially assumed.

Instead, Sans’s laugh is… triumphant.

*Loop until the end of the chapter.*

https://soundcloud.com/user815390209/lighting-the-dark-visiontale-edition

“Gaster had an idea. He thought ‘bout how far we’d come in the three centuries we’ve been down here. How we’d advanced so far beyond the humans who’d made the Barrier.”

Gaster’s soul quivers with eagerness at my side. {I think I--}

[You think what?]

{ I think I get it.}

Sans laughs again. [Oh man if only you could see Sans’s face…]

“He realized: the First Seven Souls never could’ve guessed what would’ve ‘appened to us. Or humankind. They never could’ve known ‘bout the final iteration of the Periodic Table. Or the invention of the telegraph. Or the patentin’ of the light bulb. Or the invention of radio. Let alone television or the Internet.

“As far as THEY knew,” he emphasizes, “we were trapped.

Sans leans toward me, the weight of the blue magic holding me upright increasing, “have ya ever wondered how ya can access the Internet?”

{[… … …]}

I gasp.

“{[OH MY GOOOOOOD!]}”

PRECISELY!” Gaster rings his hands… even though I’m holding on to one of them. “Their life experiences bounded their conceptions of magic! They never could have anticipated the technological and social changes after their deaths! Only the First Soul of Determination had the power to impede our gathering of knowledge from the surface in any capacity. Actually, the determination present in the Barrier is the primary reason why our magitronics face any difficulties interfacing with surface computers at all!

“Thus, my thought process was that if we harnessed the power inherent in the Barrier, we could exploit their gaps in knowledge, so that our access to your Internet, as limited as it was at the time, could occur freely!””

“OH MY GOD OH MY GOD OH MY GOD OH MY GOD!!!” I can’t help but repeat, reviewing the details of Gaster and Sans’s explanations in my mind. {It makes sense! It makes perfect sense!

“{Magic is a matter of degrees! The First Seven Souls never could’ve known about that stuff so technologies that came after them bypass the Barrier!}”

If it weren’t for the fact that I can feel him doing it, I wouldn’t have believed it possible for Gaster to ring his hands any faster or exude any more magic. “YES! YES! YES! My colleagues and I wished to exploit this flaw. This location’s massive concentrations of magic made it ideal as both the centerpiece of the CORE, and, fifty years later, the site of my experiment.

“And , why Sans, Papyrus, Dewey. Alphys, Will, and their CAD&CAD machines, tapped into the ether emitted by this location.””

Oh My God…” I repeat again. “So you… you…”

“Yes; this is where we fell. 

“Our experiment intended to test my hypothesis. It would have been the first of many experiments of its kind. However, as you know, Annie, Murry, and I fell into the abyss below your feet before we could ever report the results. The entirety of our experimental setup disintegrated alongside us. And power to the rest of the Underground ceased for several minutes afterward, thus preventing the data from transferring over to our computers. We died before we could complete it.”

Gaster takes a couple breaths. He seems… keyed up. “Pauline?”

“Yeah?”

He takes a few more breaths. “From your studies, and from what I have exhibited for you today, surely you must understand the significance of this room in relation to both the rest of the CORE and the Underground.”

“Mm-hmm.”

“Do you understand how us monsters have harnessed the very structure which imprisons us here for our benefit? That we have managed to turn it into something of a… a symbol of our independence as a culture?

“That, by finding a flaw in the Barrier, that we proved the strength of our values? Our reasoning? Our mastery of the world around us?” he insists.

“Yeah.”

“With this knowledge in mind, I must ask: have you ever considered why I adopted the middle name ‘Tesla?’”

[Heh?]

{I know this!}

“He’s the wireless power guy! Ether’s like wireless power. That’s what the CORE’s for. You wanted to show me it so—“

Before I can finish, Gaster wrenches free of me—

“{[Ahhhh!]}”

‘YES! YES! YES! YOU UNDERSTAND! YOU TRULY UNDERSTAND!”

My feet leave the floor, Chara making first confused, then happy, noises, as we lift farther off the floor.

Skeletal arms wrap around me, my body closely pressed against a set of ribs.

A set of ribs heaving with sobs.

“You understand…” Gaster repeats from directly in front of me, the blue magic surrounding his soul pulling me even closer, until my head rests on his left scapula. I turn my face toward the left side of his skull, where he continues to cry, blue magic tears rolling down my arms and the back of my shirt. You… a human… I have… I never imagined…”

Chara and I can’t make out what he’s saying anymore.

It sounds like the commentators… and most of the group who accompanied me… have followed Gaster’s example. As far as I can tell, based on what I hear in my earphones, the three Curies seem to be hugging each other tightly, Alphys’s high-pitched sobs being the most easily distinguishable, despite being muffled.

After a while, someone calls out to us.

“Get a hold of yourself G!”

It’s Robin.

Chara and I don’t cringe at his slang for once.

“You’ve been waiting for how long to talk about this stuff? Like since 1814! In human years! Ever since the Dreemurrite calendar started, by Tesla!

“You got this. You’ve probably been preparing for this for… for I don’t even wanna know how long.

“I know it’ll be hard but… calm down okay? Calm down so you can say everything you’ve prepared before you start crying us a river. ‘Cause… ‘cause I know Murry told you this is your moment. That right now, you have the right to cry, but still. You get me?”

Gaster’s shaking slows. He seems to stop crying. Blue magic stops soaking my clothes. “Good,” Robin says in a soothing tone. “Now? Go for it.”

When Gaster next speaks, he still sounds raw and cracked, but much more coherent than before.

“I… I never imagined I would see the day a human would stand before us, and behold the extent of our accomplishments. Let alone that this same human would grasp their significance.”

“But you chose me though. You said you looked for humans who could handle this stuff.”

“Correct. But… but I realized that I could only control for so many variables.”

“All this time, you had a choice.” Allen tells me firmly, walking toward us. “You could’ve listen to what we had to say, or not. You could’ve brushed us off at any time. You could’ve…

“You could’ve decided to ransack the Lab and kill us, at any time. And we couldn’t have stopped you.

“But you didn’t.

“you listened. You gave us the time of day. You treated us with respect.

“You may not have gotten everything the first time… or the second… or the third… hell there’s still lots of stuff you don’t get… but you listened.”

“I guess,” I hesitantly agree.

From my earpiece, Alphys says, “You may not think you’ve done very much. And you’re right: you haven’t done very much at all. Yeah, you volunteered your determination but…

“But that’s nothing, in comparison to what you did today.

“All that the Inertia Society, but more specifically Gaster, has ever wanted was someone to talk to. Someone to talk to about our achievements. Someone who could understand how hard it was for us to create multiple scientific fields from scratch! Someone who could understand why monsters shied away from the technology in the CORE, when the same group of monsters had rejoiced when they first saw it not a decade before!”

Alphys laughs. “And after all of that, eventually, everyone calmed down and used it anyway! Even the Dreemurrites!

“You might not believe this but… but you’re the kind of person Gaster’s longed for for so long.

“Sure: he could’ve talked about this with any monster he wanted. And they would’ve gotten it.”

Alphys’s voice rises passionately. “But you’re a human! You’re a human who did all these things! Your response’s what Gaster’s yearned so strongly for. Your response’s what Gaster wants to receive from the rest of humankind, even if it doesn’t seem like it.

“You may think you haven’t done very much, but Gaster never wanted very much at all! All he wanted was to meet a human who could behold the grandeur of our accomplishments and understand why we’re so proud of them. All he ever wanted was to meet a human who could understand why we believe this is the ultimate example of monsters expanding upon human knowledge.

”And you’ve done that.”

We stand silently for a moment, listening to the whir of the machines around us collecting ether from the Barrier, destined to power every magitronic device in the Underground. The magnitude of Alphys’s praise slowly sinks in, while I try to reconcile it with what I’ve actually done.

“What you’ve done means the world to him.” Alphys says in more subdued tones. “To us. And I… I hope you understand that. That, no matter what happens next, we at least know that you did this much for us.”

{I don’t know what to say.}

[You don’t have to say anything. They can sense your gratitude well enough.]

Still holding me, Gaster takes some deep breaths, his magic slowly falling back down to normal intensities. “On that note,” he says formally, “I, Dr. Wingdings Tesla Gaster, am more than happy to inform the Inertia Society, the Dreemurr royal family, and all monsterkind, that as of this moment, thanks to Pauline, we have officially imbued a human with the knowledge of our culture most pertinent to our eventual coexistence with the remainder of humankind on the surface.

“With this success in mind, it is with pride that I announce that we have now achieved the first directive of the Unified Theory Papers. And that efforts to achieve the second directive: to devise a method of breaking the Barrier without any further loss of life, will commence immediately.”

Stop the music.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the original URL for "Another Medium" (RichaadEB edition)!
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wmciSu0nNzQ
> 
> Here's the original URL for "CORE" (Malcolm Robinson edition)!
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tXvjtwWyFvc
> 
> Here's the original URL for "Lighting the Dark!"
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vAk42LQSM4M
> 
> Horray for editing and publishing another exposition-heavy chapter late at night!
> 
> As much as I wanted to split this chapter into two parts, I also wanted to emphasize the spectacle surrounding this occasion, so that's why this chapter is over 8600 words...
> 
> Yes: ever since Gaster came back, science and feels happen in tandem. I know correlation doesn't equal causation but... seriously Gaster you make science worthy of tears.
> 
> {[Respect.]}
> 
> No shame...
> 
> The sequence of events where Alphys exhibits Hotland to me, and then when Gaster exhibits the CORE to me, was one that I had planned relatively early on. It isn't difficult to imagine why it's momentous: I'm the oldest human to fall down, and I'm probably the only one who could grasp the full implications of the CORE's existence and fully appreciate the work it took to build. After all, I have spent several months in the underground. The same goes for how the CORE contributes to the monsters' very high standard of living.
> 
> The conveyor belts are just a logical extension of what was already in the game.
> 
> Monsterkind is very proud of Hotland, the CORE, and the scientific and social developments surrounding all three. I wanted Alphys's exhibition of Hotland and Gaster's exhibition of the CORE to be a spectacle, so that's why I tried finding music which fit that atmosphere. I wanted Hotland and the CORE to feel... alive.
> 
> As for the realization about the Barrier?
> 
> I only stumbled across it recently, a couple days before the publishing of this chapter. Let's just say that when I did, I knew that it was critical that I include it, and that I find a song which suited that situation.
> 
> BY TESLA, REMEMBER IT FOR LATER.
> 
> Lighting the Dark is from the AU called Altertale, where Gaster replaces Asriel. I realized that the triumphant mood of this track fit the revelation it accompanies perfectly, so that's why I used it.
> 
> As background for Gaster comparing the CORE to Tesla's speculations on wireless power, here's the page on Tesla, from Wikipedia. I retrieved it on 07/31/2017.
> 
> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nikola_Tesla
> 
> Moments like this: where the protagonist, Frisk or otherwise, takes some time to appreciate how monsters have made the most of what they have in the Underground... that's something many fanfics lack. I know Frisk is only a child in the vast majority of fanfics, but seriously the CORE's insane! I don't understand why no one's thought of a theory explaining how it works, let alone how the monsters have a standard of living equivalent of developed nations on the surface, when a stereotypical culture revolving around magic is usually portrayed as being from the 19th century or earlier, at best...
> 
> My ethermetrical, soulological, psychophysiological, and magitronic theories had to account for how both individual monsters' magic manifests and how it manifests when harnessed by a machine. They had to coincide, because otherwise, both theories fall apart.
> 
> That... proved difficult.
> 
> However, this chapter demonstrates how both aspects are intimately connected and how they work in harmony.
> 
> "Magic is a matter of degrees" indeed, Gaster...
> 
> If nothing else, this fic will be known for explaining the properties of magic, and how the CORE works in an internally-consistent way, one which doesn't require too much deviation from the original lore. As creative as some of these theories are, Toby made Undertale's lore a certain way for a reason. People don't usually account for the selectivity of information about the surface the monsters would have had, as well as how they would have had to still research magic, despite the fact that they can use it instinctively. Toby alluded to both, via the Waterfall-as-surface-conduit and Alphys's research.


	36. Chapter 36

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Before I begin with the warnings, I'm surprised to announce that Visiontale's surpassed 150,000 words. It's over 151,000 words, to be exact. The last time I wrote a fanfic that long, I was in middle school, it took me 17 months, and it was actually a series of seven stories, not one by itself.
> 
> [DETERMINATION!]
> 
> Also this chapter is a filler chapter in comparison to the last one... meaning the exposition wasn't planned by the other characters beforehand, and it's not based on fictional hard science...
> 
> There are some controversial topics covered in this chapter. I know this warning may seem redundant but... trust me: they are...
> 
> As much as I don't want to admit it, I'll be the first to say that a decent number of the... opinions... expressed in this chapter are... autobiographical...
> 
> Also cue feels instigated by someone I haven't seen in a long time!
> 
> If you're interested in how the Dreemurrite calendar works, read the endnotes. Otherwise, ignore them.

36

The walk out of the CORE passes by in a haze. A hyperventilation-filled, breathy, and frankly wonderful, haze… meaning that Gaster is the one hyperventilating, and for once, I don’t mind the noise. {He deserves this…}

He can’t stop talking as we take an alternate route back to the elevator. Chara first reminds, and then annoys me, about how since he’s a skeleton, he doesn’t have to take a breath. The only reason he stops talking at all is to replenish his magic, and even then, he does so very sparingly. “I cross-referenced my inferences about the permeability of the Barrier with the observations my colleagues and I made while in the Void, and we came to the conclusion that the Barrier’s movement draws upon humankind’s most pressing issue, in a particular geographic region. The collective field of knowing of the humans above us determined our location.

“We hypothesized that the First Seven Souls originated from western nations. For we spent the majority of our time underneath North America and Europe. And only when the United States began… displaying an increased interest in world affairs… beginning in the late teens and early 20s, did the Barrier appear underneath other countries. Thus, how I gained access to news media of the time. Like Chicago journalists’ coverage of Tesla’s exhibition at the 79X World’s Fair—“

“You mean the 1893 World’s Fair?”

“Hmm. That is what surface historians call it, yes.”

As Gaster and I talk, everyone else throws out ideas on how to achieve the second Unified Theory Papers objective. “When in doubt? C4!” Will suggests first… and everyone cringes.

“Oh heeeeell nooo!” Robin, somehow, has turned into the voice of reason. “You don’t think the Inertia Society hasn’t tried that!? They had gunpowder back then dude!”

“No further loss of life…” Annie emphasizes to her brother, as a metal bridge fastens into place in front of us. “No. Further. Loss of life.” She says again.

“I know I know yo sheesh by Tesla!”

[seriously? You go from talking about the First Soul of Integrity being a hypocrite to… to this?]

Annie and Chara gasp in mock-horror. “I expected better from you! What the hell’ve you been doing while I was gone?”

[Agreed!]

During the course of their exchange, Allen and Touring snicker uncharacteristically from behind us.

“Excuse me, everyone?” Everyone quiets down immediately when we hear Mettaton speaking from my earphones. “Pauline? I wanted to warn you, there’s a simply massive crowd outside. The area immediately around the entrance to the CORE has been cordoned off by Royal Guard members. Access to the conveyor belts will be strictly monitored until you go back to the LAB.”

“And I just posted an impromptu news update underline,” Wrighte adds as we pile into the elevator. “Basically if anyone tries anything you guys have the right to use force.”

He laughs with… ordinarily-out-of-place-but now-it’s-completely-justified pride. “Meaning Alphys’ll break someone’s face. Again.”

Alphys chuckles nervously as the elevator continues to ascend. “I didn’t want him to phrase it like that. But yeah: you’re right, Wrighte.”

Faintly, Sans snickers from his spot in the corner. “Nice one Alph…”

“If anything, it should be the Gasters everyone should be afraid of—“ Alphys corrects.

“Meaning just Sans.” Papyrus interrupts.

[Everyone’s nodding.]

{I mean I guessed as much…}

“I didn’t wanna be that blunt but yeah.” The journalist admits, the elevator gradually slowing to a stop. “But it’s implied so…”

Gaster shifts around so we face the elevator doors. “With these security precautions in mind,” Gaster calls behind us, “Sans? The two of us will flank her. Everyone else will bring up the rear.”

“’Course.” Sans slides into place on my left side as the elevator doors ding open.

I notice the noise immediately.

“[Daaaaaamn. That’s a looooot of crying scientists.]”

“{Heh?}”

[What me and Sans said… There’s lots of monsters with the Inertia Rune on their clothes here laughing and high-fiving and screaming and hugging and crying and… taking selfees…]

The various intensities and colors of magic nearly overwhelms me as we begin walking up the stairs to the top of a terminal. Then, I recall the innermost room of the CORE… and realize that as much of an auditory and soulological overload as the crowd is, the center of the CORE is worse.

The crowd calls out to us as we ascend the stairs. “Good job Gaster!”

“So that’s what Pauline’s been doing this whole time? Getting one-on-one lessons from you…”

“Damn it Dewey why you keep us away like this?”

“Do you wanna have a bad time?” Dewey asks… and the monster who shouted at us replies with a somehow-audible “No…”

“They can hear you?” I ask the commentators.

“There’s TV screens outside. We don’t have parking lots and stuff so yeah: they’re public gathering places.” Reed tells me as we step on a conveyor belt, presumably leading back to the Lab. “I haven’t seen this many monsters watching them since the Fishbock Fiasco of 199X—“

The crowd continues to shower us… meaning Gaster and I, with enthusiastic praise. “Gaster! Please don’t go!””

“You did well human!”

“I never thought I’d see the day a human’d see this…”

“She’s so smart!”

“Stay determined! Both of you!”

“We love you G!””

You’re so awesome Wingdings!”

“Oh by Tesla let me through! Hey! I made arrangements with—Edisondamn it!”

An… irritated… female voice… slowly approaches us, her words somewhat obscured by the crowd.

“Let ‘er through.” Sans barks… and the weight of dozens of monsters’ fields of knowing pressing on my soul from all sides subsides in a matter of seconds.

As the conveyor belt continues to move, and the space around us gradually clears, I hear… soft… footsteps… several pairs… of soft footsteps… walking toward me.

“Ahuhuhuhu. And aren’t you overdoing it? You’ll scare away the customers—I mean guests—I invited to the afterparty!”

{[Wait what?]}

“What afterparty?” Robin suddenly seems… very very interested… and Chara mutters [Robin no no no no don’t say that…]

“I never heard anything about this…” Papyrus hesitantly adds from directly behind me.

[Muffet put one of her hands—legs—I don’t even--on her—where her mouth would be--]]

“That’s not what I heard from Gerson—“

“{[Oh no…]}”

Muffet laughs again. “He’s not as much of a party animal as everyone makes him out to be derie. He just loves the company of other monsters. And… rambling to them… about surface theology. And from what I saw back there, you’ll be able to handle his analysis of human religious texts just fine.”

“So we’re going back to the Lab?” I ask, stepping off the conveyor belt.

“No,” Murry says from my earphones. “Muffet’s store’s like… a few belts away. You’re gonna branch off the main path soon.”

“We’ll be there in a count of… of five hundred,” Muffet supplies. “Not five hundred steps. Five hundred Seconds.”

“I don’t really do that I just remember how long it’d take me to walk somewhere and realize when I walked too long.”

Loop until the next note:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nj17oW-blrw

… … … [Wow… this… isn’t a big party at all…]

{I’m surprised too.}

{[Thank Tesla.]}

Gaster leads me through the room, extending his left arm out behind him as we squeeze between two tables. “Besides the group who accompanied you to the CORE, Gerson, Undyne, and several other high-ranking Inertia Society and Royal Guard members are in attendance. Papyrus? Clear that table for us will you?”

“of course!” Papyrus shouts unnecessarily from in front of us.

Gaster lifts my hand off his arm and places it on the back of a chair. As I seat myself, he pulls out the chair across from me. Sans sits to my left… a little too close to me for Chara’s liking.

“Should I get Gerson and Undyne?” Sans asks in my ear.

“Uh yeah sure.”

“Wave.” He requests.

I do so.

I wait for a response.

After a few seconds, several chairs… and some glass… crashes to the floor behind me.

“NGAHHHH! There you are punk!!!”

“Undyne!” I turn around as much as I can while still remaining seated. She wraps her arms around me, giving a tight… but thankfully short… hug… which I return to the best of my ability. She sits in the chair to my right. “The CORE’s awesome right?” she jumps into the conversation at once.

”It’s a lot…” is all I manage to say. “Like seriously where do I start?”

“Well go big or go home right?”

“[True.]” Sans, Papyrus, Chara, and I agree.

“Gerson’s making drinks at the bar. I’ll yell for him. He’s making something for you—“

“it better be nonalcoholic—“

“Who do you think Gerson is Sans!? He’s not—“

[She’s pointing at him.]

“—that shady! He may be interested in peyote but—“

“[Lovely.]” the Skelebros, Cahra and I snark.

“--but seriously he’s not stupid! He’s just real interested in human barkeeping stuff!”

”I thought he was into religion…”

“That too! I mean how do you think the Freudians got drunk that one time? He brought the drinks!”

“[Eh!]”

“He has probably found a way to replicate peyote as well—“

“Papyrus!” Gaster gasps. “How could you ever imply--!”

“Gneh heh heh. Come on dad: even you know he’d do it, if he could…”

[Gaster you’re thinking waaaaay too deeply about this…]

“I suppose you are correct.” Gaster finally admits, as a monster walks by our table.

“What do you wanna drink?” Muffet asks. “Normally I would tell you to get up and get them yourselves but the line at the bar’s a complete clusterfuck. And Boxing the orders to the guests isn’t helping like I thought.”

“Something cold—“ I begin to say.

“Something with chocolate in it—“

{Hey!}

[I want chocolate!]

{I wanted Sprite!}

[Fuck you it’s my afterparty too!]

{You didn’t even do anything!}

[I had to watch Gaster cry his eye sockets out!]

{How’s that bad!?}

[I had to sit through all that and couldn’t even help him.]

{… I guess…}

“Of course!” Muffet confirms. She takes everyone else’s orders… even going so far as to ask Sans if he wants iced ketchup…

“Gerson will Box your drinks to you shortly.” She notifies us as she begins walking away. “After that he’s all yours.”

Stop the music.

… … … “—fascinated by these kinds of religious figures.” Gerson finishes his speech for the moment. I push my glass into the Dimensional Box on the table. After about thirty seconds, it emerges again, filled with fresh ice and Sprite.

“I mean it makes sense.” Chara continues grumbling for iced hot chocolate all the while. “‘Cause you think humans wouldn’t agree with your guys’ morals and stuff—“

“Mwa hah hah! Exactly! At least someone of your generation has a damned brain!

“You’re not like the Edisondamned Socratesians who go to the same bars I do. Usually at this point in the conversation they’d ask what I really mean by ‘morals’ or ‘religion’.”

“Yeah… they do that…” I recall Socrate’s method of teaching from my surface schooling.

“Questioning everything like that? That seems… rather annoying,” Papyrus ponders. “How do they know what they’re asking is really a question.”

The entire table laughs, even Chara. “I’ve never considered that before.” Gerson admits. “Maybe I’ll try that argument on for size the next time the Multidisciplinary Translationism group meets--”

{[Heh?]}

“What’s that?”

“I’m glad you asked!” I forget that Gerson used to be a member of the Royal Guard… at least for the moment. “Translationism’s the practice of trying to, well, translate, human belief systems into forms more relevant and relatable for monsters.”

He old-man laughs. “Obviously this doesn’t always work out. In fact, many human institutions crumble when superimposed over a society like ours. I dabble in theological translationism on the side.

Everyone in the Underground does it! Anytime a monster discusses human institutions or practices and how they themselves do them, or why they don’t do them, they’re engaging in translationism.

“For instance! What I’ve been rambling on about for the past fifteen minutes! About humans’ fascination with the End of Days” or “End Times” or “Last Day” or “Judgment Day”. Whatever you want to call it. Anyone who follows an organized religion, whether they like it or not, hears about the Judgment Day. And how it may come at any time. And that all of their actions will be weighed when they stand before their sacred powers.

“Hell! Even those who have no religious affiliation refer to the concept of karma. A bastardized version of it,” he grumbles, “but nonetheless…

“When someone says that they’ve done something, and a seemingly-related beneficial or detrimental action follows it, people say it’s fate! Or destiny! That they deserve what they get!

“I would go into a discussion of free will and its relation to morality, and what monsters think of it, ending on how it’s relevant to our culture, but—“

[He shook his head--]

“—I think I’ve gone on for long enough. And besides: I’m not the right monster to be talking about that. I’ve been around for a long time, but not in the right places.

“And who am I kidding? Undyne? You look like you’re about to sock me in the face!”

“Oh come on old man!” Undyne shouts back. “I’m not gonna do that.”

“But you’re right.” She calms down in an instant. “My parents did talk about that stuff sometimes. About how… about how lots of humans believe they’ll be judged for their actions when they die.”

[She shrugged.]

“But I don’t dwell on it. And my beliefs haven’t changed, even after finding out about… about your—“

[She’s pointing at us--]

“—determination. It doesn’t matter how determined you are: eventually something will make you not want to come back. You can’t keep… repeating everything till you get it right forever! It’s not right! Eventually everything’ll catch up to you, Eventually something will happen you’ve never seen before! The world always balances itself out. It’s just a matter of chance! It’s just the Law of Large Numbers!”

“Eh!” the Gasters and I respond.

“I… I think that’s why humans trapped us down here.”

I never thought I’d hear Undyne sound so… so vulnerable.

“They saw our existence as a crime.

“So they wanted to… to punish us.”

[Undyne’s looking straight at us.]

{I can feel it.}

“I guess that’s why I wanted to… to kill you.” She says with brutal honesty I’ve never heard from her before, not even at her house in Waterfall. “Because I thought that your death could… balance out… everything that’s happened to us. But you’ve known that for a long time.

“After seeing you these past few months, I think… I think I can talk about this and not make you mad. You understand why I wanted to kill you back then. You still don’t like it. But you understand it. Hell you even admitted you’d do the same thing, if you could. And that’s all that matters.”

She reaches out and touches the scar she left on my arm before I walked through Waterfall for the first time. “And hell: you’re even carrying that scar well! All your cuts from those magitry experiments, you’re carrying them well. You’re... you’re not as afraid of getting hurt anymore. You still fear it but… it’d be rash if you didn’t. Even… even I fear getting hurt sometimes. Like… like when I lost my eye—“

“{Heh?}”

Undyne takes my right hand, which she places on the left side of her face relative to me. True to her word, I feel an eyepatch under my palm. “It happened in training a few years ago. Someone was careless with their magic and—“

She makes a cracking and squelching noise. “Trust me: I’ve gotten hurt a lot since then. But nothing hurt like that. Alphys helped me through it. Thanks to her I… I was more careful, after that.”

I have no need to respond in words.

“But you know what I’m getting at?”

She doesn’t give time for anyone to answer. “Gaster’s trying to get us out of here so humanity can pay for what they’ve made us suffer! So they can see how far we’ve come. How we’re not the same culture as the one they thought they snuffed out so long ago. Then they’ll be sorry they trapped us, because we’ll come back stronger!”

I sense her soul tensing in preparation from beside me. “I don’t care if I don’t believe in all the right things. Hell my parents didn’t! They loved Malcolm X! And even then they couldn’t bring themselves to do everything he said.

“I’ve done what I’ve done because I thought it was the right thing to do. Because I wanted to help everyone. I don’t care if you call me a heretic. A gentile. An infidel. Whatever. I’ve helped my fellow monster. And if my fellow monsters think I’ve helped them, then what your priests and rabbis and imams think doesn’t matter! EDISONDAMN THEM!”

{Whoa…}

“But there is one thing from surface religions I do believe in for sure. One that every monster can agree with. Even the progressive ones.

“I believe that Eventually, someone or something will strike down everything and everyone who’s done us wrong! Isn’t that what the Delta Rune stands for? That someone who’s seen the surface will make the Underground go empty? The Barrier’s made of the consciousnesses of the First Seven Souls. They’re still hurting us! Even after all these years.

“{[True…]}” Chara… everyone else at the table, and I, hesitantly say at first, then with more conviction.

“Yes.” Papyrus is the first to wholeheartedly agree. “You have appoint, Undyne. Their souls are within the Barrier, aren’t they?”

“Yes; I suppose they are.” Gaster supplements.

”Someone has to make them pay for what they’ve done.” Undyne says, her voice cracking. “Someone has to tell humankind about the prison that’s been under their feet for all these years.

“I don’t care how it happens: humankind must atone for their forefathers’ sins.”

A chill runs down my spine… and Chara withdraws away from my soul again.

Everyone at our table eats in relative silence for the next several minutes, broken every now and then by me asking someone to hand me some more food. That is, when Chara doesn’t take control of my body so I can serve myself. The party’s wound down for the most part. Most of the guests just wanted to introduce themselves to me… or gawk at me, as Sans calls it. I call it talking to too many monsters in too short a time so I don’t remember what any of them sound like…

“Ya know Undyne?”

Everyone stops what they’re doing.

“I’m curious ‘bout what these religious leaders’d say, ‘Bout what we’re doin’ now. Breakin’ the Barrier without killin’ anyone else, I mean.” Sans begins to talk. I put down my fork, reach for my drink, take a sip, and listen.

“I mean: they keep sayin’ certain actions are forbidden. Or blasphemous. Or sinful. When really: humans aren’t much better.”

He laughs harshly. Chara and I flinch at the noise. “Ya could say they’re not doin’ a good job at practicin’ what they preach.”

“Yeah…” I have no need to ssay any more to convey my agreement with Sans’s points.

“I, would tend to agree.” Papyrus leans forward toward his brother. “But us monsters aren’t necessarily innocent either. After all…”

He gneh heh hehs sadly. “I wonder what they would think of… of those monsters with human blood on their hands. Those who assisted in the capture of the Second Six Souls. How, as terrible as those deeds were… they were necessary. We could not have achieved our goal any other way, even if we wanted to!

“Not… not without Gaster.

“Not… not without you, human.

“And think about what I told Pauline back in Snowdin. About dad teaching us respect for humans. About Laura and Amy admitting that me killing her would have been an act of mercy.

“And how there are many monsters, myself included, who hold both sets of beliefs, no matter how greatly they contradict. How there are many monsters, including myself, who see the condradiction… and yet, continue to believe in both of them…”

[Everyone’s nodding.]

“I hear ya.” Sans agrees, almost too quietly to hear.

“But it bothers me, ya know?

“Either someone’s a saint or a sinner. No exceptions.”

In the most resigned voice I’ve ever heard Sans use, he says, “Now that I think ‘bout it… we’d probably burn in hell… or whatever the humans call it… for what we’ve done.

“All of us.

“Not just the Inertia Society. Not just the Royal Guard.

“All of us.”

We wait tensely for Sans to continue. I can’t help but feel curious about what he will say next. That is, until I sense his yellow magic rising in intensity at my side.

[No no no no no no…] Chara mutters under their breath. After a couple seconds, Chara says [No no no no no no no no!] with more urgency.

{Whyyy?}

[Blue and yellow left eye glow of doooooom…]

{[No no no no no no no no!]}

“And ya know what?”

No one dares answer. The air begins to… to burn… against my skin.

No.

Against my soul.

“I see where they’re comin’ from.

“I’m just thinkin’…

“If some sacred power’s gonna judge me when I die, I’d wanna do it standin’ next to some humans too. So at least we’d be equal. So at least I’d know I wasn’t the only one who fucked up.”

He laughs again. My glass leaves my hand.

“That is: if their ‘gods’ aren’t human too.

“’Cause if they are, they’d send us all to hell.

[He’s looking at Gerson…]

“Ya talk ‘bout human religions’ creation stories. How they make everythin’ in—“ he emphasizes” “—their image. How they send ‘em out on missions to populate the whole world.”

Sans’s yellow magic spikes.

A glass… and Sans’s closed fist… slam into the tabletop.

The glass promptly shatters.

A new wave of pain shoots through my soul… and from what I can tell, through everyone else’s souls as well.

Chara… begins to cry.

With the most passion I’ve ever heard from him, Sans asks, “Where does that leave us, eh?

“At least if I’m gonna go to hell, I wanna be judged by someone who actually gives a shit ‘bout my life. And how it differs from everyone else’s. So I’m not piled in with the murderers and the rapists and the politicians if I’m bad. And especially so I’m not piled in with the lifelong philanthropists or emergency first-responders if I’m ‘good’.”

Only when I feel phalanges burning with magic gripping my shoulders do I realize that Sans has stood from his seat… and that he’s leaning toward me. The right side of my face burns due to the concentrations of yellow magic present in his left eye socket.

When he next speaks, everyone’s souls reverberate with his conviction. Magic laces his every word. I don’t hear what he says as much as feel his words leave scortch marks on my soul.

“’Cause our idea of good has no fuckin’ relation to your idea of ‘good.’ And our idea of ‘bad’ is as different from yours as it gets.”

I don’t have a counterargument to make.

No one else does either.

How could we?

Over the ensuing weeks, Murry makes good on his promise to orient me to Hotland. Every few days, we ride the belts to various locations, to test their accessibility for visually-impaired people. By the end of the fifth month of 201X, I can walk to the CORE, Muffet’s shop, and several other locations independently, on the conveyor belts or on ground level. I’ve even learned to use the system of boats which connect Hotland to the rest of the Underground.

During this period, one phenomenon remains constant: to check that the signs have been brailled correctly,, fans of Mettaton’s, recruited to check the signs in the field when I’m not available, run into us… literally. “They blindfold themselves so they can’t cheat,” Murry explains one day as we wwalk alongside a blindfolded Aaron. “I mean it works so—“

[He shrugged.]

“—I’m not complaining.”

{[Uh…]}

“I mean that works…?” I try to coherently respond to Mettaton’s fans’, dedication.

“Long as they don’t fall off the belts or something—“

“[Awww…]” Chara and I cringe at Murry’s morbid joke… and valid observation…

“Hotland’s the best for blind people.” I conclude at the end of our session, after a parade of spiders passes by me… each handing me a bag with… what I’m assuming is food… inside. “Not perfect but nowhere is.”

As we board the main longivator in the Lab, I ask, “Hey Murry what’s the date? ‘Cause like a Woshua said Mettaton’s doing something soon.”

“It’s 0/06/201X. Mettaton’s doing his big thing on 11/06. The date ChronoTrigger came out here.”

“Dude like that game’s older than me…” I point out as we walk toward the dining room. “It’s kinda sad… it’s kinda like how the Pokémon games are older than me…”

By now, I can walk through the Lab without assistance, from my cane or Chara. I use echo location and the change in the air passing by my body to detect the openings where the hallway turns, and hold a hand in front of my face in case I run in to a door, and or as Sans calls them, “Those Edison-damned supply carts…” [I can see and even I think they suck…] Chara says whenever they have the chance.

When we arrive in the dining room, Muffet’s silky voice calls out to me: “Oh hello dearie! You’re back early! Just like I asked.”

“Yeah I did good today.” I summarize as I find a seat, Murry taking one a few feet away. I set the bags of… of food… on the table in front of me. “Why’d you ask us to come home early?”

“Ahuhuhuhu. What: I can’t drop in to visit? Even Sans’s security protocols aren’t that strict—“

“Shhh.” Murry shushes. “He’ll hear you. He’s got eyes everywhere! You hear me? Everywhere! He’s got tabs on all of us!”

“{[You don’t sound like a guy from Ancient Aliens at all…]}”

“Well if I can’t deliver my good news without being apprehended,” Muffet sasses back, raising her voice, and… talking at the ceiling… “then I don’t mind being taken in.”

“[Down with Big Brother!]” Murry, Chara, and I can think of no other way to respond to Muffet’s act of defiance, even while Chara adds [But only Paps can say it…] after we’ve finished.

“Pauline? I have some news I know you’ll enjoy hearing.” She continues when we’ve made our obligatory reference.

“What is it?”

“I hired someone for consulting services at my bakery. One of the spiders has…”

She sighs. “They’ve begun suffering cementing pains--”

We all shudder. “[Duuuuude that suuuuucks…]”

“What’s this have to do with me?”

“Well… their particular cementing pains are manifesting as a loss of sight. I’ll remind you how since humans’ primary sense is sight, accordingly monsters use sight, in whatever form that takes for them, to perceive what is around them. It could be a side effect of the First Seven Souls and the way they constructed the Barrier. Or the Inertia Society’s anthropomorphism campaign…”

She laughs. “I’m just a humble baker. What do I know about science?”

“What’s your point?”

“Well… I wanted to ask you about accessibility technology. I was wondering if I could take some pictures and video and make audio recordings about your devices. This spider, they’ll need the proper training. Their cementing pains could go on for months. And only when their sight comes back will we know which colors of magic they’ve cemented themselves in. They’ll have to use all their devices using different aspects of their field of knowing. A retraining of their senses, in human terms.

“And of course: they’ll have to learn to cook without sight as well, and you may have useful advice in that area, even if you can’t cook.”

“Oh Yeah true.””

“Hmph. I think you’ll have quite a bit more to say when you meet my new consultant yourself.”

Loop until the next note.

https://materiacollective.bandcamp.com/track/home

Muffet stands and walks toward the kitchen, to our left. From inside, I hear her ask, “Toriel?”

I gasp. After a couple seconds of bustling and the clink of pots and pans from inside, I hear footsteps leaving the kitchen. “{[TOOOORIIIIIEEEEL!]}”

“Indeed! It is I: Toriel: your first ally and guardian.

“It is… it is so wonderful to finally see you again, my child.”

Ever since I fell down, I’ve never felt so happy to hear someone’s voice.

Without Chara’s help, I jump up from my seat and run toward Toriel… at least, until Chara takes control of my body, and I veer to one side. I skid to a halt, Toriel pulling me into a hug. “Be careful my child! Gaster has yet to clean up this room as much as I requested!”

“But like we need these tables!” Murry protests from behind me. ”A crapload of people eat here! ‘And Grillby cooks our food at the table like a boss!”

Toriel laughs lightly as we walk back to the table. She takes the seat next to mine. Brushing my arm, she reaches for the bag of bags in front of me. “You had no need to make these Muffet. I could have easily made something—“

“Nonsense!” Muffet exclaims. “I wanted to celebrate your arrival in my own way. The more I cook for you the more time you have to aide my as-of-now visually-impaired employee. And besides: I think your arrival warrants a change to my menu anyway.””

“But why are you here!?” I ask.

“I would think you would have figured it out as soon as Muffet called for me! You are a smart one,” she says fondly. “Gaster has yet to stop saying so to everyone he comes across! Him, and every Inertia Society member. They are simply extatic that you have done them such a huge service.”

“I mean he taught me how the CORE worked so—ehh.”

“Shush. You should be proud of what you’ve done, my child. You have the right to brag. In fact, over the past several months, I have seen proof of your impact on monsterkind everywhere.

“After you left for Hotland, I spent several days with Grillby, ensuring that the town returned to some semblance of order after the riots. During that time, I… I decided to make good on my promise. As soon as I expressed my desire to own a computer, he, alongside several dozen other residents, raised enough funds to purchase me the most state-of-the-art model available. They procured the parts from Alphys, and I had them delivered to my home. With their assistance I assembled it and installed it in my living room.”

She laughs again. “It was only a matter of time before I, logged on, to the Undernet and found all of the things everyone has said and written and sung about you!”

“Sung?” I repeat.

“Believe it or not you’re a popular topic in the Hotland and New Home music scene.” Murry muses as he reaches for one of the pastries in the tiny bags. I’d know: me and Shakur hang out with some local artists—“

“Duuuude it’s been foreeeever since I’ve seen them!”

“I know right? They’re hella busy ‘cause of the boat and stuff. They only take monsters to the main stops along the river and there’s tons of other boats but still. They’re busy a lot of the time.

“Anyway they’re really interested in what the music scene has to say about you. Monsters like, namedrop you and Gaster and quote you and stuff—“”

“[What the fuck?]”

Toriel and Muffet laugh in unison. “I… must second that statement…” Toriel hesitantly says. “Profanity and all. I do not see you as the wax-philosophical type. You must know by now that you are not nearly as,”

She searches for the right word. “eloquent,” she finally decides to say, “as Gaster.“

“Oh heeeeell nooo I’m not!”

[Oh heeeeell noooo you’re not!]

“Oh heeeeell no she’s not!” Robin, Chara and I cut her off… which prompts another pair of laughs from Muffet and Toriel.

“Your reactions to the CORE’ve become famous,” Muffet notes… mischievously. “Everyone’s used the audio from your reaction to Gaster’s… realization… about the Barrier… alongside footage from many other events relevant to monsterkind. And alongside many events… less… relevant to both.”

“Like…?” I’m curious… and also dreading what Muffet will tell me.

“Like my employees receiving a raise. Or students passing exams.”

“[Eh!]”

The rustle of clothing from across from me. “If I remember correctly, the Moores posted this kind of content when they discovered Will passed his second biannual round of placement exams, granting him access to his school’s Translationist Soulology classes—“

“Translationism’s about making human stuff make sense to monsters—“ I begin to recall.

“Translational Soulology is a… somewhat new… field of study heavily-based in your soft scientific fields, primarily sociology and psychology,” Toriel surprises me with her knowledge. “It draws heavily on the symbolic interactionism school of thought in sociology. Although we are stretching its boundaries by applying its tenants’ theories to more than just children…”

She trails off, allowing me time to let me absorb this information,. “If I had a dollar for every science thingy you guys’ve made up…” I grumble, only half-joking.

“Symbolic interactionism is very much real,” Toriel says, which I respond to with a quick “I know I know Dewey’s told me.”

“Our amateur and not-so-amateur—“

[{Woooow Toriel…]}

“--sociologists, psychologists, and soulologists came to the consensus that due to its theories relating language to concepts, symbolic interactionism was the most fitting theory to apply to this field. After all, monsters have not always measured strength and durability using attack and defense.

“Until the early 180s, we had no such measures at all. We could sense the strength of a monster… and I suppose that of a human… by examining their soul. By… checking… what was visible, and comparing it to our own souls. As you may have guessed, this period fell in the middle of the Soul Search. Gaster took this opportunity to investigate why monsters’ methods of perceiving soulological characteristics had changed.”

“But why’d they changed though? Like did everyone start playing video games or something?”

Toriel doesn’t answer.

Everyone in the room sits silently, their souls’ emitting less intense magic than before. {I thought everyone liked gaming…}

[…]

“You could say that human news media had brought sufficient attention to video games that their existence trickled down to monsterkind eventually.” Toriel finally says. “Attack and defense and HP used to be derogatory terms. But once the Inertia Society discovered their applicability to monsterkind, their use became commonplace.”

“Hmm.”

“You could say that as of right now,” Muffet attempts to smooth over our… awkward silence… “that my visually-impaired employee is suffering a temporary drop in their stats. They are redistributing themselves. When they at last cement themselves, their stats will not only rise back up to their original levels, but they will be even greater, due to their new field of knowing training.”

“Makes sense.”

“Hey Pauline wanna try one of these… fluffy pastry things?”

{[Woooow Robin trying to make us less serious thoooough…}

[It’s what he does best… when sans isn’t doing it.]

Before I can answer, he pushes a couple tiny bags against the backs of my clasped hands, Chara protesting about the invasion of personal space. I unzip one of them and pinch the… fluffy thing… doughnut… between two fingers, placing it on my tongue.

“How are they?” Muffet asks, before breaking into another laugh. “You have no need to answer dearie: I can see it on your face. You love these doughnuts. I knew you would! After all: you bought some back in the Ruins.”

“Toriel told you?”

“The spiders operating it notified me, via proxy. They sent me an email, using Toriel’s computer. And, I saw the jug of Spider Cider fall out of your bag during your… encounter… with Papyrus,” she phrases delicately.

“Oh yeah I never got to drink it…”

“Don’t worry. There’s plenty to go around. We baked Spider Cider into the batter of half of these Spider Doughnuts.

“As for the other half? Open the second bag.”

I oblige, recognizing the flavor of the doughnut immediately, even though it’s been several months since I’ve tasted it. “{[Cinnamon butterscotch,]}” Chara and I breathe.

“Yes my child. Indeed, it is cinnamon butterscotch. Grillby, Muffet, and I collaborated to create this recipe. I sold these doughnuts to raise the funds for my computer. For that, and to hire the monsters necessary to move all of my belongings to Hotland--”

“Wait you moved out!?”

“Yes. Actually, my home in the Ruins is being demolished as we speak. I sent my essentials here via Dimensional Box. So do not worry; I will not be living out of a suitcase for long.”

“[Oh thank Tesla.]”

Stop this song.

Loop until the end of the chapter.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=We7whQievrQ

Toriel takes a breath and sighs. “As much as I would like to say that I have only good news to bring to you today, I am afraid I have not been completely honest with you up until this moment, resourceful one.”

{[Oh noooo…]}

“There is another reason why I decided to move to Hotland.”

{[Oh nooo…]}

“I do not mean to frighten you but… on arrival, Gaster briefly informed me of the measures he plans to take in order to achieve the second Unified Theory Papers directive. He emphasized how my presence may, reassure you, during this process. That my insight into your condition will prove useful. For he and his colleagues must work with your blindness, not against it.”

“What do you mean?”

Toriel takes another breath. “As you know, the latest iteration of the second Unified Theory Papers directive is to break the Barrier without any further loss of life.”

I wait for her to continue.

“This accounts for the lives of both humans and monsters.”

I wait for her to continue.

“However, as he is well known for doing, Gaster has already considered every eventuality. He knows that the primary method of breaking the Barrier may… fail. There is a not insignificant chance that he may need to, modify, the second directive.

“He speculates that there is a not insignificant chance that he must modify the second Unified Theory Papers directive so that it only accounts for the prevention of further loss of human life, not monster life.”

She says sadly, “I know from speaking with Sans that you know what I speak of: to leave the Underground, you may have to kill Asgore.”

The weight of this fact hits me like a ton of bricks.

Again.

{How could I forget?}

“As for what Gaster has planned? I do not know the details. As of now, he is still consulting the Curies and his sons, to determine which courses of action are most likely to occur. But they won’t think of everything. Unlike many monsters, I know that as intelligent as they are, Inertia Society members aren’t miracle workers.

“Even Gaster has his limits. Even he must eventually face a truth he cannot… think his way out of.

“But I have no doubt that even if he discovers that this eventuality, that you must kill Asgore, is more than mere speculation, he will find a way to make it… accessible… for you.

“They all will.”

Toriel, Murry, Muffet… and Chara, say in unison, “[And I will as well.]”

“What does he wanna do?”

“He told me he expected you would ask this.” Toriel seems amused. “And he was right.

“He Told me to tell you that he will have a concrete answer by the fifth week of this month. That in the meantime, he wishes that you apply the skills Murry has taught you so you may experience everything the Underground has to offer. That you… take risks. That you… do everything you never had the opportunity to do thus far, here and on the surface, until it is time that the second directive be carried through, whenever he may decide.”

“Sounds good.”

Toriel stands from her seat, laying an arm across my shoulders. “Come along everyone. Muffet, if we are to provide your employee with teaching materials, we must get started without delay. Pauline? Please show me to your room so we may retrieve your laptop and BrailleNote. And the Perkins’Brailler.”

“Wait what Perkins Brailler?” I repeat as we walk out of the room. “I never heard about this.”

[I don’t remember this either.]

“Apparently, Sans created a Perkins Brailler for me recently. He wanted to show me what they looked like. And how they worked. Remember, while you lived with me, I did not have easy access to the resources to make one. He wanted to show it to me so I may braille you notes in the proper way.”

[Oh man… I wish you could see how happy Toriel is…]

{I can tell… and not just from feeling her soul.}

[Does the thought of Toriel--]

{Fill me with determination?} I finish.

[I was gonna ask if the thought of Toriel living with us fills you with determination but…]

A mental shrug from Chara. [Ehh. That works too.]

{ By Tesla what the fuck do you think!? Hell yeah it does!}

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the link to the cover of "Spider Dance" used in this chapter, originally intended for the Underswap AU.
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nj17oW-blrw
> 
> Here's the link to the cover of "Once Upon a Time" and or "Home" used in this chapter! It's the first track off of "Fallen: An Undertale Tribute," compiled by the Materia Collective.
> 
> Again, I love the music off this album...
> 
> https://materiacollective.bandcamp.com/track/home
> 
> If you want some context about symbolic interactionism, here's a link to a video about it on Khan Academy. I retrieved it on August 4, 2017.
> 
> https://www.khanacademy.org/test-prep/mcat/society-and-culture/social-structures/v/symbolic-interactionism
> 
> Yep! Toriel's back!
> 
> also, I finally worked out how the Dreemurrite calendar works. Here's the quick version.
> 
> The year always starts on July 10, according to the Gregorian calendar.
> 
> The seven months have seven weeks of seven days. The weeks begin on the day of the week July 10th was on, so if it was on a Friday, the weeks for that year start on a Friday.
> 
> Approximately, here are the dates marking each month. Depending on whether the year has a leap day or not, the end date of the fifth month, and both the start and end dates of the six and seventh months, move back a day. Keep in mind, I may or may not have to correct these later...
> 
> 01: July 10-August 27
> 
> 02: August 28-October 15
> 
> 03: October 16-December 3
> 
> 04: December 4-January 21
> 
> 05: January 22-March 10/11
> 
> 06: March 11/2-April 28/29
> 
> 07: April 29/30-June 17/18
> 
> 02/06/201X is March 13, 2016, and March 22, the date ChronoTrigger came out in this timeline, is 11/06/201X.
> 
> Accordingly, I retrieved the Khan Academy video about symbolic interactionism on 26/04/203X, according to the Dreemurrite calendar.
> 
> The months will be named soon... trust me.


	37. Chapter 37

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> More medical ethics and feels!
> 
> Also a nickname for Mettaton...

37

Loop until the next note.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bn21x4CtHcg

“By Tesla by Tesla by Tesla by Tesla Mettaton’s thing’s today!”

“Duuude I’m so hyped!”

Chara and I sit on my bed, my laptop between us. Each of us wears a pair of earphones… and we’ve put up the braille and print “Do not disturb” sign on my door. Sans can’t even make the excuse of not being able to read it because I know he can read braille now…

Over the past week and a half, Chara and I, the rest of the Inertia Society, as well as basically everyone in the Underground, has speculated about the nature of Mettaton’s announcement. He’s provided no details underline, which seems strange, because he advertises his content everywhere. “He wants to learn braille just so he can make tactile billboards for all the monsters learning it… because in his own words, he needs to promote himself across every platform he can.” Toriel comments the day before. Her snark is so unlike her, and yet, accurate enough, that everyone applauds… even Gaster.

“Will’s gonna come after so he can tell you what the announcement looked like,” Chara reminds me as they adjust positions. “The livestream should start soon.”

“Like he said 1:00… and it’s like—by Faraday’s lisp it’s 1:15! Where the fuck is he!?”

“This isn’t like him at all!” Chara states the obvious. “He’s never late! He—“

Before Chara can rant any more, we hear a welcome voice in our earphones… saying a phrase I haven’t heard since I watched YouTube before I fell down.

“Helloooooo Undernet! Welcome to—“

“OH HEEEEEELL NOOOO!!!”

“—a very special edition of Live Report.”

Chara and I sigh in relief. “At least he doesn’t imitate MatPat yet…” we mutter.

“Before we get started I would like to apologize for being late. I tried my hardest to set up everything on time but… hmph. That’s what happens when you hire outside help. I started the livestream late today to accommodate my special guest.

“Speaking of which, without further ado, I am very eager to welcome him onstage.”

Mettaton’s voice shifts to the right slightly in the stereo field of my earphones. He calls off to one side, “Dr. Gaster?”

“Yeeeees!” Chara and I shout. Even through the walls, I can hear the Inertia Society members in the rooms around us cheering.

Gaster’s footsteps move from right to left until both he and Mettaton stand in the center of the stereo field. “It is a pleasure to be here, Mr. Plier—“

“Plier? What kind of a name is—“ I begin to wonder aloud.

Then it hits me. “Nooooo…”

“Yeah his name is Mettaton Plier.”

“So…” I have to point out, “oh…”

We say in unison, “Mettaplier…”

Chara and I groan… but not for long.

“And please: do not feel compelled to address me so formally. Gaster is acceptable. Or Wingdings.”

He laughs… and Chara and I openly squee over the softness and amusement in it. “After all, considering my increased Undernet presence over the past several weeks, deriving from my assistance in amending the various video series providing soulology and magitry tutorials underline and recording more accurate voiceovers for them, even the most auditorily-challenged of monsters could recognize my voice by now.”

“I suppose you have a point,” Mettaton admits. “You’re building your brand in the only way you know how: turning filaments into fanservice. Auditory and visual.”

Gaster laughs again.

“Now that we’ve gotten that out of the way… I know everyone’s dyyyying to know why you’re here. The chat’s going wild with speculation! I know I could have made this announcement alone but…”

Mettaton’s voice… echoes less. As if he’s leaning in closer to the microphone.

“Pauline: I know you’re watching.”

“Heh?”

“Big Brother’s watching!”

“I see your name in the live chat. I know you simply adooooore Gaster’s voice—“

“HEY!” Chara shares in my embarrassment…

“But who doesn’t? This skeleton right here turned soulology into sobs by Tesla!”

Mettaton’s voice echoes like it did before. “And damn can he give a speech! I know I’m not the first to admit it but,”

He verbally swoons. “It was grand. Maybe a little overblown but.”

Mettaton laughs in delight. “You had centuries to prepare it. Longer, even. Your performance surpassed anything I could say on the matter. And if you can turn such a complex subject into a spectacle,”

[He shook his head.]

“—then you are truly worthy of every word of praise monsterkind has showered on you.”

“Awwww Gaster’s blushing!” Chara squeals.

“But we’re not here to do that. At least, we’ll leave it to the end.

“Wingdings? I scheduled this edition of Live Report just for you.”

Mettaton walks off to the left side of the stage. “After all, you insisted that I broadcast this announcement for maximum exposure—“

“So this isn’t Mettaton’s thing…” I muse. “It’s Gaster’s…”

“The floor’s all yours.” The Undernet star encourages.

Gaster wastes no time. “Thank you Mettaton.

“I shall keep my announcement brief. For I have business to attend to.

“As you know, my colleagues and I have begun setting the second Unified Theory Papers’ directive in motion. I have some deadlines to adhere to. I simply wished to make an appearance here to give this announcement, for it is one near and dear to my soul.

“It is a running joke among monsterkind that although Dewey Durkheim Curie and King Asgore Dreemurr possessed a deep wellspring of knowledge to draw upon as inspiration for our calendar, they could not devise unique names for the months if their lives depended on it.“

“True…” Chara and I agree. I hear laughter from the occupants of the other rooms… and I swear I hear someone fall off a chair.

“I have wondered why they’re not named so…”

“Same…”

“Recently, it struck me to discuss the matter with Dewey. In short, he realized that now that the details of the Determination Study have been released to the public, its contents constitute the most culturally-important wellspring of knowledge of all.”

Gaster lowers his voice. “After all, the Second Six Souls touched our lives in a myriad of ways. Even with my experience coordinating logistics across countless years in the Void, I could not enumerate the number of ways they impacted us.

“However, I can do this one service for them.

“Starting today, each month in the Dreemurrite calendar shall be named for the trait associated with each color of magic, in the order the Second Six Souls fell underground. Our first month shall be named Patience, the second Bravery, and so on. Their abbreviated names are P, B, I, K, E, and J.

“With this naming convention in mind, today is 13 Justice 201X. Written shorthand, it shall be 13/J/201X.

“And before all of you inundate the live chat with questions regarding the name of the last month, I shall say the order for you, so the symbolism of this calendar may be clear.”

He takes a breath, and resolutely, Gaster recites.

“Patience.

“Bravery.

“Integrity.

“Kindness.

:Perseverance.

“Justice.

“Determination.

“Therefore. Pauline?”

“Why he talking to us through the computer again?” I can’t help but ask.

“Expect an answer from me by the 35th of this month.”

After a few seconds of silence, Mettaton walks back to center stage. “Gaster I… I didn’t expect this.”

Mettaton barely manages to maintain his composure. “This is… this is an incredible change the Inertia Society’s proposing.”

“Not nearly as incredible as the Holistic Integration Movement; that campaign spanned… hmm… approximately three-quarters of a century. And twenty-five years of that consisted of creating the necessary propaganda. And this only accounts for the formal lifespan of the movement; it never truly ended.”

Almost to himself, he notes, “I… I never imagined that we would ever apply its tenants so soon after adoption…”

Gaster seems to be… recollecting something… something from long ago.

Mettaton gives him time to do so.

“Well, in any case, I am grateful you took time out of your busy schedule to announce this in person.” Mettaton struggles to express his gratitude.

Firmly, Gaster tells him, “Mettaton? I would have gone to any lengths to ensure that my schedule accommodated your own. Especially after you fought alongside Sans, and after your exemplary reporting during the Great Disclosure Riots. For you are part of our family now, Mr. Plier.

“Or,” Gaster’s mood lightens almost immediately, “as many in the Lab have begun referring to you, ’Mettaplier’--”

Chara and I groan again… and everyone around us in the other rooms follows suit.

“Oh I knew you would make that joke…” Mettaton isn’t offended in the slightest. “Actually, I’ve been waiting for you to say it ever since we met.

“On that note, I am Mettaton Plier, this is Dr. Wingdings Tesla Gaster, and this has been a special edition of Live Report. Catch Live Report at its regular times, at 9 AM, 2 PM, and 7 PM, five days a week.

“Thank you everyone. And stay determined.”

Stop the music.

Even though Gaster explicitly told me about his, intentions, for explaining the second directive to me, Chara and I still manage to forget it. We spend the next few weeks traveling throughout the rest of the Underground: eating at every restaurant we come across, buying nerdy Paraphernalia from every game store we come across, and feeling weirded out by every meme mentioning me we come across. We finally have time to catch up with the “Crew,” being everyone I met in Snowdin besides the Skelebros. Apparently, Sans talking about them with most everyone in the Lab caused the name, and the accompanying cringe, to spread…

In fact, the day Alphys decides to drop the news on me, the Moores, Shakur, and I are in the middle of watching music videos posted underline. “This one is an homage to punk rock bands’ rebellious tendencies tralala. Ending the establishment and all that. They’re burning images of some surface figures. Some… unsavory politicians.”

“Even I know who they’re burning…” I can’t help but say. “I fell down after this became a thing…”

“I am merely making their machinations more manageable to make sense of Pauline.” Shakur chuckles. “For Will, I mean. For he has yet to learn about your… politics… in any detail.”

“But he’s an asshole yo!”

“Wait wait what!?” Everyone starts at Will’s sudden swearing. “Duuuude!” I exclaim on reflex.

“I mean come on everyone thinks so. Even the Dreemurrites do! Actually dad told me lots of Dreemurrites want to build a wall to keep him out!”

“[Oooooh buuuurn…]”

Will, followed by everyone else, bursts out laughing. “Yeah I know right! It’s so bad that—“

Someone clears their throat from in the doorway.

It’s Alphys.

“Um… Pauline? Can you… all of you… come with me?”

“Of course.” Touring sounds professional again in an instant. “Annie? Bookmark this page for later will you?”

“Sure.”

I stand from my seat in Will’s room, walking toward the doorway, where I sense Alphys’s soul. I reach out, waiting to feel her scales underneath the fabric of her lab coat. When my fingers at last close on her arm, we begin to walk, everyone else following close behind.

“Where we going?” I ask.

It takes a few seconds for Alphys to answer. “I’m gonna show you what we’ve been working on for the past several weeks. Well more like where we’ve been working on it ‘cause all we have to show for our work is just some diagrams but…”

She stops herself. “You’ll see.”

After a couple more minutes of walking, we stop at the end of a hallway. [Alphys’s scanning her hands on that creepy glowy hand thingy--]

{So the True Lab--}

[Yeah.]

We pile into the elevator and wait in silence for the doors to ding open. From my magitry and soulology training, I recognize the… the scent… I smelled the first time I came here: it’s burnt magitronics and… and determination.

Alphys leads us through the True Lab, eventually opening a door. “This is my new office. Sit down everyone. Pauline—“

Before Alphys can finish, Chara guides me to a chair at the end of the table. I reach out and touch its edge, realizing that the table’s covered in papers.

Everyone else takes seats around me. [Alphys’s across from you.]

She wastes no time. “Look: Gaster couldn’t make it ‘cause him and the others are working on the… concrete answer… they promised—“

“But I thought—“ I begin to protest.

“I’m gonna give you a concrete answer.” Alphys interrupts me. “Just, not a concrete answer. You’ll know what we’ve been doing. We just… won’t have anything tangible to show for it.”

Confused at Gaster’s choice of words, I silently wait for Alphys to continue.

“I’ll keep it as short as I can.

“You know those DT modules we put everywhere?”

“Yeah why?”

“We’re gonna use them to power some new CAD&CAD machines. More precise ones. More up-to-date ones. We’re…”

She gulps. “You know how we used your determination to bring Gaster back?”

“Yeah why?”

“Well… we’re gonna do the same thing, to break the Barrier.

“We’re gonna use your determination to artificially create human souls. So no one else has to die.”

A moment of absolute silence. Even the chatter of amalgamates close by stops.

“[Fucking hell…]” Chara and I breathe.

Alphys responds more confidently this time. “Remember that the human brain is where the human soul is. The only reason we’re even able to entertain this idea is because over the past couple years, human scientists have been trying to simulate the human brain using computers. We’ve… gathered… information from those studies and used it to make CAD&CAD machines more well-suited for our purposes. But even that isn’t enough. We need your determination to… to make them more than just brains. After all, determination is used to give living things… well, life.

“To create these souls, we’ll need your determination to give them life.”

She stops for the moment. I contemplate what she’s told me. “So you want me to help make them.”

“They won’t have any memories or anything… they won’t even have stats comparable to a real human. What matters is that they’ll have ethergraphs and that they’ll contain concentrations of determination comparable to the average human so, for our purposes, they’ll be alive.”

“Makes sense.” I reflexively reply.

“So Asgore won’t take’ Pauline’s soul?” Allen asks the question I’m most afraid of asking.

Alphys sighs. The magic surrounding her soul ebbs, dropping from 64 attack to 55. “That’s the thing: we don’t know.

“Pauline will go to New Home and bring these souls as… as an offering, to Asgore. You’re gonna convince him to take them instead of your soul. You’ll also convince him to give you the Second Six Souls back, so we can fulfill as much of the second directive as possible.

“Because we think… we think that with this new research, we’ll be able to plant their souls in physical bodies again. To… to undo what we’ve done to them.”

“[Whoa…]” everyone reacts in unison.

“I speak for all of us when I say this: I’d say that sounds crazy,” Touring laughs in disbelief, “but I can’t anymore, can’t I? You guys brought back Gaster after all. You have much more information and resources to work with this time around.”

“Mm-hmm.” Alphys agrees. “However, this is… as Gaster calls it, only the ‘ideal scenario’.

“Let’s just say that based on the observations he made in the Void, he hypothesizes that there’s a… a…

“He didn’t want to give it a number but…

“The odds of Asgore accepting this offer are… lower than he would like.”

“Then why tell it to us then?” I ask.

Alphys answers at once: “It’s because I have to lay out all the possibilities for you. The ideal scenario is the one we want to happen. It’s not necessarily the most likely one.

“Gaster… and Sans… and Papyrus… basically everyone who’s been working on this… thinks that Asgore will refuse your offer. We have no idea of what could lead him to doing it but… that doesn’t matter.

“Everyone who’s been working on this thinks that, sans a miracle, Asgore will try taking your soul.

“We realized that we have to use the time you have left with us to help you. To prepare you.

“To prepare you for the, worst-case scenario.

“We’re gonna help you prepare to fight Asgore.”

The silence of the True Lab is deafening. Chara mentally squirms around. I clasp my hands together in my lap. Everyone’s magic fluctuates around me.

“This circumstance is precisely the situation I so desperately sought to steer away from.”

Shakur breaks the silence.

“You are sending Pauline to her death, all of you. You are disrupting the natural order of things, all of you. Humans aren’t meant to be… be given new bodies like our computers are given new parts. I cannot agree with this decision.”

“Why not?” I ask, curious about why Shakur may object to the plan.

“Believe it or not, I share some sentiments with the Dreemurrites. Creating life is… it’s… humans and monsters were never meant to do so. Mixing magic and determination like this? Even more so.

“I would almost prefer it if you created human embryos, and then harvested them for their souls once they had developed—“

“Ugh!”

“What?” Everyone else in the room gasps.

Shakur continues like I never spoke. “At least this kind of… of modification… is one we are familiar with trala. It is one that humanity has yet to use, because of their… opinions… on experimenting on their own kind, but nevertheless: there is ample research on inserting genes into embryos. There is ample research on embryonic development. You would know exactly how long to wait to harvest the souls. There would be much less guesswork. Much less—“

“So you want them to grow test tube babies?” I summarize, bewildered by what I’m hearing.

“Yes trala. Because if you do succeed in recreating a human brain, it will not come into being gradually, as does the brain of a fetus. Its consciousness will come into existence immediately. An integral part of human development is cognitive development. Without that, those brains will…”

[She’s ringing her hands.]

“Those brains will enter this world confused and… and frightened.

“For if you make these souls comparable in strength to the average human at creation, does that not mean that they would possess the soulological capabilities of the average human, to sense magic use? Could they not sense you? Running their experiment? They’ll sense your intentions.

“They will know they’re destined to die.

“And then what?

“Humans may not be as attuned to their souls, but it is a fact that when a human loses the will to live, by losing a loved one for instance, without someone to support them, their health declines. The strength of their body and soul deteriorates.

“They may even fall down.

“They may not fall down in the same manner as monsters, but regardless—“

“Here’s the thing.” Annie sharply interrupts, standing from her seat to face Shakur. Orange magic flows off her in streams. “We’re gonna monitor the souls the whole time to make sure they’re stable. That they come into the world right. And if we make just brains we won’t have to… to watch those embryos grow during each trial, knowing that the trials they’re part of may fail and that they’ll most likely die.”

Annie’s voice cracks. I don’t have to see to know she’s crying. “I don’t want to see that. None of us do.

“And besides: by making just brains, we should know if they were made right sooner. If they come out wrong then… then we can end them more quickly. So we’ll have more time to get it right next time.”

Annie sits down again. Her brother and parents stand from their seats and crowd around her. After a few moments of quiet sobs, Annie finally collects herself well enough to say, “I know it sounds cruel. Hell it is cruel. To… to just go through human lives like this. Like lab rats. But… but…”

She laughs humorlessly. “We’ve already done it before. So no one should be surprised we’re doing it again.

“We’ll create these souls as close as we can to the time Pauline leaves for New Home. So… they won’t live in agony too long.

“And… and I think that’s the best anyone can ask for.” She finishes, sniffling. [There’s a box of tissues to—you found it.]

I hand the box to my right, Annie pulling some out when it reaches her. “Thanks.”

“No problem.”

“Shakur?” Alphys tentatively asks. “I… I know you’re angry at me. At all of us, for suggesting this. But, there’s more to this plan. And I think you’ll agree with enough of it that… that you won’t go to the press and badmouth us…

“It’s about how we’re gonna prepare Pauline to fight Asgore. Believe it or not, this part of the plan is the one which will be easiest to figure out, because it depends on Pauline’s own knowledge and not… translational ethics…

“Please,” she pleads. “Please stay. I… I know you’ll approve of this. You’re one for a good underdog story.”

Shakur gives a tense laugh. “You’re not wrong there trala. I’ll stay. But be warned I’ll make sure you’re treating Pauline with the respect Gaster promised. I will be sure to continually inquire into your plans. I will even change my schedule so I may come here every day, to talk to her.”

“Of course. If that’ll set your mind at ease then…”

Loop until the end of the chapter.

https://soundcloud.com/user815390209/alphys-takes-action-ii-visiontale-edition

Alphys takes a breath. “Here’s the thing: we can’t train you with a traditional weapon ‘cause Asgore’ll be better at it than you, no matter how long you train. It’s not practical. And besides: you’d need physical training for that. Training that I know you don’t wanna do, training that I know won’t help anyway ‘cause we can only do so much in nine weeks.”

“[True.]”

“Instead, we’re gonna teach you to fight in a way you’re familiar with. To cast magic in ways you’re familiar with, but in ways Asgore isn’t. Remember: magic is a matter of degrees. Asgore may know the main characteristics of each color of magic, but he doesn’t know how you perceive them, let alone how they’d manifest for you.

“And after all that we have to make sure you won’t take too much damage. ‘Cause even if we teach you to dodge it won’t be enough. Asgore’s so much stronger than you. You… you’ll need armor. And a lot of it too.”

Alphys stands from her seat and begins to pace around the table. “You know what Mjolnir is right?” she asks out of the blue.

“[Heh?]”

“It’s the set of armor worn by Master Chief in the Halo video games,” Alphys explains. “It amplifies the wearer’s strength, speed, durability, and cognitive capabilities, by connecting their brain to a computer.

“Toriel and Sans were thinking: if you’re gonna fight Asgore, you’re gonna need every advantage you can get. We’ll design it so it can withstand Asgore’s attacks, so you’ll suffer minimal soulological and physical harm.

“And so you’ll have enough firepower to kill him quickly.”

I have no need to agree with her verbally.

She’s right.

“We haven’t made any prototypes yet, but what Toriel was thinking was that we tap into your soul and transform your determination into the forms of magic you’ll need, like what the Second Six Souls did. Like green magic, to heal you. And blue and purple magic, to help you move faster, on the ground and in the air. Actually, the healing factor was her idea. ‘Cause you won’t have time to heal with food after all.”

“True…”

{I didn’t expect this…}

[Me neither…]

“After you visited the CORE for the first time, I gave Undyne some ethergraphy equipment. I told her to turn it on whenever she was with him, to collect data about Asgore’s soul. So we’ll know how strong he is, and how strong we’ll have to make the armor. ‘Cause it’ll have to withstand substantial physical and soulological harm. ’Cause trust me: he’s a pretty nice guy, but he can hurt you. Very badly.

“And we need to update the formulas which calculate soulological strength anyway so… yeah: this setup was perfect.”

Alphys stops pacing. “Believe it or not, the Inertia Society’s been prepared for this for a long time—“

This time, I’m not the only one who’s confused. Allen steals my words out of my mouth when he asks, “But how could you prepare for something like this?”

“I… I can’t even… that’s… this isn’t surprising to me but still!” Touring gasps.

“I don’t care what anyone says this sounds hella cool!”

“True!” I unashamedly agree with Will. “It’s fucking awesome!”

Alphys laughs with genuine delight. “I knew you’d like it! Toriel and Sans thought you would too!”

[She’s looking at Shakur.]

“I must mirror the human’s sentiments trala. Yes: I think you thought this out very well.”

They hesitate before continuing. “I will not simply forgive how you plan to create these souls. But I can sleep soundly knowing that Pauline will be protected. And that is all that matters, I suppose.”

“Let’s jus say the Inertia Society was created as a body independent from the Dreemurrite government so we could change with the times, on the surface and in the Underground. Gaster and my parents knew that human society would change. So they wanted a group of monsters around who could handle that change.

“And, if it turned out that something happened on the surface and down here which ever contradicted the Unified Theory Papers… even if that something was Asgore…

“If we ever had to kill Asgore just to break the Barrier then… so be it.”

With resolve I never expected from her, Alphys says proudly, “I’ve been preparing for this for my entire life. We all have. If I have to apply our science to giving you a fighting chance against Asgore, if I have to violate the principles of combat everyone was taught to abide by ever since they could form a bullet and hit someone with it, then so be it!”

“Now that is determination.” Shakur’s admiration is palpable. “I could never make that choice. Very few monsters could. Hell I think even fewer humans could. You are serving a worthy cause. Monsterkind needs more individuals like you.”

They stand from their seat. “I would like to stay but I have some commuters to transport to New home. Goodbye Pauline.”

Chara takes control of my body so I stand from my seat and face Shakur. Shakur wraps an… an appendage… around my shoulders, and I hug them back. As we let go of each other, Shakur says mischievously, “Asgore: you have absolutely attacked the antithesis of weakness. The Inertia Society shall do whatever it must to free our kind. Even if it means striking you down.”

They walk out of the room, laughing heartily. “Asgore?

“Beware the Man Who Speaks in Hands…

“For he will not allow you to lay hands on the human.

“I am sure of it.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here is the link to the extended version of Alphys Takes Action II used in this chapter, posted on my Soundcloud. The link to the original version from YouTube is in the description of that song.
> 
> https://soundcloud.com/user815390209/alphys-takes-action-ii-visiontale-edition
> 
> Here's the link to the page about Mjolnir I referenced. I retrieved this information on August 5, 2017... AKA 27/P/203X, if you're into that...
> 
> http://halo.wikia.com/wiki/Mjolnir_Powered_Assault_Armor
> 
> "Hello my name is Mettaplier! And welcome to [insert game name here]."
> 
> Now you know the names of the months.
> 
> That, and how Gaster's plan to break the Barrier makes this fanfic different from... virtually every other Undertale fanfic I've read...
> 
> *sigh...*
> 
> It only just hit me the day I posted this how... cruel and messed up... this plan is... what Shakur says... all of it... all of it's cruel and messed up...
> 
> This may not be the headcanon I'm most proud of for being the most detailed, but it's likely the most realistic, and provides a window into how monsters perceive human ethics and politics... and exactly how different it is from what we consider liberal or conservative.


	38. Chapter 38

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In this chapter, you will learn how I will fight Asgore without stabbing him to death slowly and agonizingly with the Worn Dagger. That, and you will witness one of the weirdest moments in all of Undertale... warped by the political landscape of this timeline...
> 
> Also, if you were wondering when Burgerpants, Bratty, and Catty were going to appear, you don't have to wait any longer!
> 
> If you want context about the Shulk and Super Smash Brothers references in this chapter, read the endnotes. Otherwise, ignore them.

38

Loop until the next note.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bx55-ngn8n0

“Robin where the hell—“

“Shut up and walk faster!”

{I don’t like this!}

[Me neither!]

“If you really wanna know we’re going somewhere you haven’t been yet for some Edisondamn reason to meet a friend of mine for a Live Report watch party!”

“That doesn’t help!”

“Well you better change your mind really fucking fast ‘cause we’re about to walk by a Mettaton statue in… three! Two! One!”

“{What?}”

We abruptly stop walking, Robin gripping my wrist tighter. “Seriously you’re standing in front of a fountain with a Mettaton statue in it…”

“I guessed as much?”

“But that’s not what we came here for let’s go--!”

Before I can stop them, Chara forces me to ask “Where by Tesla!?”

“MTT Resort!”

“Heh?” I ask under my own power.

“Exactly what it sounds like. It’s a… Mettaton-themed hotel! Or a thing that Mettaton made him-themed… or somewhere his fans can hang out… all three? But that’s not the point!”

I follow Robin’s… too eager for my liking… lead into a nearby open door. Some catchy music plays from the speakers above our heads, and monsters chat around us. “Hold up take my arm ‘cause this place’s crowded and Mettaton hasn’t moved the tables… amateur…”

I oblige.

After a couple minutes of walking through a crowded room, WHICH Chara tells me is the lobby of the MTT Resort, we stop walking, entering a smaller, less crowded room instead. “Welcome to the MTT Burger Imporium: home of the Glamburger. Sparkle up your day! ™]

{Wait Chara what the hell--}

[You’re gonna walk into the counter right… about… now…]

{The counter of what!?}

“Dude Burgy what’s up!?”

“{Heh?}”

Listen from 3:35 to about 3:45.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i5qze8tRhQo#T=03M35S

“Oh. Robin. You’re… awfully happy today—“

 

{He sounds tired--}

[Probly more than just tired--]

“Of course I am! I brought the human with me ‘cause she hasn’t been here yet! And I thought: before the shit hits the fan she better have a Glamburger right?”

Burgy? Laughs, not amused at all. “I mean she won’t treat me like shit at least—“

“And in the meantime you can tell her about the Shitty Walmart Stories scandal from a couple months ago!” Robin continues talking like he didn’t even hear Burgy. “I mean you must’ve noticed MTT’s acting less like a bitch now?”

{[Wait Whoa whoa Robin caaaaalm dooooown!]}

Burgy humphs. “I guess. Ever since the beginning of Integrity he’s… apologized… for treating me like dirt. Right around the time the human—I mean you—came to Hotland.

“Maybe it was ‘cause of you. Maybe it was just for ratings. Who knows?”

[He shrugged.]

“Well if you’re gonna be here might as well go invite Bratty and Catty over here.”

“Great! Where’s the least crappy table?”

Burgy laughs genuinely. “How about I take your guys’s orders outside? It’s crowded here. And besides Pauline has to learn what I sound like. And that involves actually being able to hear me so we can have a meaningful conversation.”

He walks around the counter until he stands on my other side. “That sound about right, little buddy?” he asks.

I never realized I could put so much gratitude into a single “Yeah” until I answer him, but there’s a first time for everything down here…

“Well then. How about I whip up the usual for you Crusoe? And I’ll… make you something special? A sampling of everything we have.”

“Sure.”

Burgy walks back around the counter. “I’ll be done in a few minutes. If I’m late blame the Edisondamn customers—“

“Shhh! Don’t talk shit about them yet! Wait till your shift’s done!” Robin jokes… mostly… as we skirt the walls of the lobby, Chara and I laughing at his observation all the while. Robin holds a door open for us as we walk outside to a table overlooking the street. He sits next to me. “I think you’ll like Burgy. He’s your age, in human years. And I am too—“

“{[That explains a lot--]}”

Robin laughs lightly. “I mean how old did you think I was!? Why do you think I didn’t know that Adam Smith stuff? I haven’t learned it yet!”

“Oh…”

“Remember the Inertia Society prioritizes monster education. So it’ll be a bit before I learn human subjects. Let alone college-level stuff. That’s why hanging out with Gaster’s been…”

He trails off before continuing. “It’s… someone who’s affected me so much’s been… around… watching us… this whole time. I’d never heard of him before Paps said his name on that livestream.

“And well: Burgy’s gonna have a lot to say about—oh here he is! And Bratty! Helloooooo!” he calls over his shoulder. “And sup catty?”

“Oh by Tesla! It’s like, Robinson Crusoe!”

I start at hearing her voice.

{Woooooow sheeee’s--}

[Like what not-teenagers think teenagers sound like? Yeah…]

“We’ve been like, wondering where you’ve been—“

{Who’s that?}

[Catty.]

“—‘cause you like, never come to the Nakh Academy livestreams to like, hang out anymore!”

“You mean Khan Academy right?” I can’t help but butt in… only for everyone to laugh.

“No silly!” Bratty sits across from Robin. “Nakh Academy’s like… YouTube livestream school but like, without the inconsiderate YouTube comments. We like, ask stuff in the chat from home and like, the teacher responds in realtime.”

“That’s cool.” I admit, as Burgerpants slides into the chair across from me. “Do you want me to tell you which food’s where on that tray?”

“She’ll do fine.” Robin tears the paper off his Glamburger. “I mean Gaster nearly had a soul attack when she knocked soup on the floor once but—“

He laughs again. “She’s got it. But save the Starfait for last they’re really good.”

“Sure.”

I trail my hands over the plate, finding the Glamburger directly in front of me, a… pointy sandwich… behind it and… “What’s this?”

“It’s stake. In the shape of Mettaton’s face.” Burgy answers shortly.

“{[Uh…]}”

“The Starfait’s in the upper-left corner. And that pointy thing you touched’s called the Legendary Hero. It’s a sandwich shaped like a sword—“

“Duuuude!”

“They’re always shaped like different swords if I remember right,” Burgy explains as I pick up the Glamburger. “But I’m not a gamer so not like I’d know—“

“I’m gonna see if I recognize it.” Robin leans over, the tray becoming lighter as he takes the Legendary Hero off of it. “This… this looks like the Massamune…”

“Nooooo!”

“Yeah it is the Massamune! Duuude that’s awesome! I should get some to go for the rest of the Crew—and the rest of them.”

Stop the music.

Burgy laughs. “Knock yourself out.”

I start eating the Glamburger. After taking a couple bites, I ask “So like you work here?”

“I’ve been working here for three years as of two days from now, little buddy. And All of it except the past few months’s been complete shit.”

“[Here we go…]” Robin and Chara say in unison.

{It’s like what Gaster did that one time isn’t it?}

[Yeah…]

Burgy takes a breath. “Well: at least I don’t have to explain too much. ‘Cause we’re the same age, in human years. And my parents raised me according to the Holistic Integration Movement. And considering where you lived and went to school I bet you’ve heard the same things. Hel they went so far as to start nagging me about what I’d do after college. When I was thirteen—“

“What the fuck?”

“Yeah! You must know about the ‘tiger mom’, or dad, parents who only care that their kid goes to a nice college and meets someone nice and starts a nice family and has a nice job—“

“I know I know I know I know--”

“Sorry for getting on your nerves, little buddy.”

He barks out a laugh. “But since you’re annoyed at me for bringing it up that means it must be true.”

“Yeah…” I admit.

“Anyway my parents were like that. They told me when I turned ten: ‘Willis Scott JR., when the Barrier breaks, we want you to be prepared for life on the surface. So we want you to do well in school so humans may let you into a good college so you can get a good job.’

“So when I was six they enrolled me in one of those Inertia Society-run schools. At least the students were nice. And the classes didn’t suck. That’s where I met Robin—“

“[Eh!]”

“Yeah! We sat together in translational literature class. We laughed every time the teacher mentioned Robinson in Robinson Crusoe! And we even wrote a parody so I was him and I was stranded in the middle of Los Vegas and not a deserted island--”

“[Heh?]”

“You haven’t read it yet?” He seems surprised. “From what I’ve learned about human schools you should’ve read it by now!”

“Noooo… I haven’t…”

“It’s actually pretty relevant to monsterkind ‘cause it like, talks about what it means to be ‘civilized’,” Bratty explains.

“And it’s like, the first true English novel or something.” Catty adds.

“Soooo…” I struggle to find a way to ask what needs to be asked, “thaaaaat’s why your last name’s Crusoe?”

“Yeah! My family changed their last name when I got cemented. ‘Cause they loved the joke so much. And the parody wasn’t bad either… it’s underline if you wanna read it—“

“Duuude hell yes!”

Burgy—Willis? Continues, “At least I can say no matter how shitty my life’s been, I don’t hate science or math or translational literature.”

Gruff respect. “I’ll give it to Gaster: he got good monsters to help him.”

He guffaws. “Oooooh and theeeeen came the talk about cementing. My parents sat me down and lectured about them wanting me to cement myself in purple and blue magic ‘cause they’d learned it and ‘cause they were the most useful.

“And you know what happened?”

I don’t even try answering.

“I was cemented when I was sixteen! In orange magic by Tesla! And it only happened ‘cause I got up the courage to run away from home—“

“What?” I can’t think of what else to ask.

He laughs again. “Yep! I ran away from home at sixteen. Took everything I could carry and moved here, from Snowdin. Took me weeks to find somewhere to live. Even longer to find any job that’d accept me. ‘Cause apparently,” his voice rises, “the only way you could get an acting job around here till recently was if you sold your soul to Mettaton!”

As Burgy continues to rant, I’m fascinated. He’s… essentially exactly like the high schoolers and college students on the surface, even after factoring in his running away from home.

“So I thought: maybe if I work for Mettaton I can get experience and… and make my own YouTube channel or something. Earn enough money to have a nice camera 3D-printed for me. And a greenscreen. Yeah! All that stuff!”

He suddenly stands from his seat. “But you know what happened?” he asks in my face.

I put down my Glamburger and am about to answer when he says “He humiliated me!

“He was never straight with me about when to come to work. There’d be times where I’d come in and I wouldn’t even receive the call to come into work until halfway into my shift.

“He’s made me wear ridiculous outfits to celebrate human holidays. He’s made me wear ridiculous outfits just for the hell of it. And he’s made me sit there and listen to CDs full of songs about how horrible I am—“

“What the fuck!” I’m appalled. “How could he—“

He scoffs, “I don’t know. Maybe he got it from your YouTubers. All those rigged ‘prank’ videos. All those montages of people falling down and hurting themselves and everyone laughing at them. It makes me sick.

“And the only comfort I gathered came from watching those ‘Shitty People of Walmart’ stories. Those stories of retail employees and what they have to trudge through every day, just to make minimum wage. So at least I knew that even when we got free, there’d be plenty of humans I could relate to.”

“Duuuuude… one of my friends worked at a Target so… yeah…”

“Mettaton was an asshole! I don’t care that he doesn’t have either of those things! He! Was! An asshole!” he emphatically insists.

He calms down somewhat. “At least till around the beginning of Integrity of this year.

“When I came to work, he was there. And… and he called me Willis! Not Burgerpants!”

“Heh?”

“It’s a loooong story…” Robin… doesn’t sound like he wants to elaborate. “It’s like his own Fishbock Fiasco—“

“Ooooh…” I understand Robin’s hesitancy immediately.

“But anyway: he called me Willis. And he asked me how my day’d been!

“I thought something was up. But I didn’t wanna make him mad so I said okay.

“But we… we went into his office in back and…”

What he says next he does so in disbelief. “He said, ‘Willis, I know you think I’m just pulling another prank on you but…’

“And he was right: I thought he was playing a prank on me. You can’t blame me for that.”

“Yeaaaaah…. I can’t…”

“He said, ‘Willis, I know this won’t make up for what I’ve done but… I’m sorry. I’m sorry for how badly I’ve treated you. I’m sorry for the degrading outfits and the flippant work schedules and those awful CDs!

“I didn’t believe my ears! Only when he burst into tears did I believe him. And told me that he’d come to his senses. He told me about you. How he realized: since you were really gonna help the Inertia Society break the Barrier, he’d have to clean up his act.

“And of course those ‘Shitty People of Walmart’ or McDonalds stories didn’t hurt either. He didn’t wanna be grouped in with them—“

“[Wooooow…]”

He sits back down. “He realized he couldn’t treat me like shit without consequences. Unlike lots of humans on the surface…” he adds as an afterthought.

“So we sat down and talked about my work hours. My pay. What I thought we should change around here. That he was considering a service where I Box customers’ orders to them if it’s really busy. And reducing total working hours or moving them so there were longer but less workdays. And he reduced his number of Live Report sessions from four to three, so he could check on me every day.

“Thank you—“

{Ah ah ah why’s he--}

[He’s seriously up in your face--]

“—for all this.”

“But I didn’t do anything—“ I begin to counter, but he talks over me :No no! Don’t say that little buddy! You did a lot!

“You got Mettaton to admit he fucked up! That just ‘cause he’s famous doesn’t mean he can’t treat everyone around him like shit! He was a prime example of not every monster being sunshine and rainbows and Gaster levels of considerate and selfless. Humanity needs to know this. The need to know that in part, their media did this.”

“Willis you’ve like, been ranting about this for forever.” Bratty interrupts.

“Yeah it’s like, getting annoying. I mean yeah you have the right to do it but still dude.” Catty adds.

“But Pauline it’s like, really nice that you’re here though!” Bratty exclaims. “’Cause we like, wanna know what it’s like, on the inside…”

“Inside where?”

“The Lab of course!” Bratty and Catty answer simultaneously.

“’Cause like, we haven’t seen Alphys in like, forever!”

“Ever since she became the Royal Scientist in like, 182X.”

“Holy shit…”

“Yeah!” Catty confirms. “She like, hung out with us all the time at the garbage dump.”

Bratty: “And her parents like, taught us to preserve stuff and stuff.”

Catty: “But like, we hadn’t heard anything about her since Gaster got back!”

Bratty: “But like, not in person!”

Catty: “That is, until she talked over you going to the CORE! That like, was awesome like, Alphys hasn’t changed at all!”

“And Mettaton was there too!”

They proceed to teenage girl scream. “He’s like, my robot husband—“

“Bratty? He’s my robot husband—“

“No: he’s mine—“

“You can have Gaster—“

“But he’s married to his job—“

The whole table replies with an obligatory “[Eh!]” and applauds.

“I mean like come on you know this.” Catty explains. “He’s like, literally been preparing for Pauline for like, literally forever!”

“[True.]”

“He’s like, so dedicated he spent all that time in the Void thinking of how to get back to his sons. And that’s like… so sweet! I think I’m gonna cry!”

“Me too!” Bratty seems to have come to her senses.

“Duuude!” Robin… seems on the verge of tears just talking about this, and Chara franticly chants [No Robin not now not now not now not noooow don’t cry…]

“Well you better get eating. ‘Cause the special edition of Live Report’s at eight!” Robin reminds me as I pick up what’s left of the Glamburger. “And in the meantime let’s grill Burgy—“

“Oh no: don’t call me that. Call me by my Undernet name: sodochlo. It’s if you put sodium and chlorine together.”

“You mean salt?”

Sodochlo claps. “Finally! Someone my age who isn’t a translational idiot!”

“Nice.” I finish the Glamburger and start eating the… the stake shaped like Mettaton’s face… Chara nervously asking [What’s this even made of?] as I take the first bite.

… … … “Come on it should be starting now!” I complain in the general direction of Robin’s laptop.

“I’m with you girl!” Catty agrees.

Bratty seconds, “He was like, only late when Gaster was—“

“Helloooooo Undernet! Welcome to a special edition of Live Report! I’m your host, Mettaton Plier, and you won’t believe the story I have for you tonight.

“And it’s especially fitting because I see that Pauline? You’re in the live chat! You’ll find this story, extremely relevant. But first? An apology.

“I’m sorry I haven’t been on social media over the past week darlings. I’ve been pouring my soul into this story. I hope you like it.

“I wanted to give some commentary on the Inertia Society’s work on achieving the second Unified Theory Papers’ directive. Unfortunately I don’t exactly know what they’ve been working on but… I thought my commentary would be useful anyway.”

He laughs. “And even if I did, if I so much as talked about it in my sleep with no one else at home Sans’d shoot me on the spot—“

We all shudder because Mettaton’s… probably right.

“On that note… Blooky? Are the sound levels good?” he hurriedly asks, everyone at the table giggling at his attempt to change the subject.

After a few seconds, I hear a faint, “Yeah… I guess so. Unless you want me to change them…” from the right side of the stereo field of my earphones.

“No no I think they’ll suit us just fine. Thank you Blooky.”

“Wait nooooo…” I breathe. “That can’t be—“

“Yeah.” Robin confirms. “That’s Napstablook. Mettaton’s cousin. He makes his music. And quite a bit of the music you’ve heard in the Underground so far.”

“Duuuude I met him in the Ruins!”

“Nice!”

“Undyne?” Mettaton walks to the left and calls out, “Hit it!”

The sound of Undyne banging the keys on a piano.

“No no no! I mean play the song!”

“I know. Just messing with you Mettaplier. This is for you punk!” She shouts. “Mettaton sing your soul out and earn that get-out-of-the-woodshed-free card!”

“[Wooooow Undyne…]”

Mettaton stops walking.

After Undyne plays a few notes on the piano, Mettaton begins to sing.

“Oh my love,  
Please run away.  
Monster king  
Forbids your stay.

“Humans must  
Live far apart;  
Even if  
It breaks my heart.

“They’ll put you  
In the dungeon;  
It’ll suck,  
And then you’ll die a lot—“

Everyone at the table snarks, saying something to the effect of “{[Thanks dude…]}”

“Really sad,  
You’re gonna die,  
Cry cry cry,  
So sad it’s happening—“

“{[Oh thaaaaanks duuuude!]}”

Mettaton’s tone shifts in an instant. Rather than… comically sad… he now sounds… genuinely hopeful.

“Oh I hope,  
That Gaster finds  
A way back  
To humankind.

For us all,  
As well as you,  
Otherwise,  
What you must do.

“Is to stand  
Before Asgore,  
Our freedom,  
Is what You’re pleading for.

“Really sad,  
We can’t have both.  
I still can’t  
Believe it’s happening…”

Mettaton sings the rest of the song passionately. Insistantly. He sings with… with a sense of urgency. His voice sounds closer to the microphone, as if he’s singing into the camera.

“All my fans,  
I beg of you;  
Think about,  
What we will do:

“In some weeks,  
Our people send,  
Our friend,  
To a cruel death.

“I don’t care,  
What you’ve been told;  
Remember: she’s just nineteen years old.

“I will never  
Let this fly,  
If I can help it,  
It’s not happening.”

We respond with copious applause. How else would we respond to off-genre, cheesy-but-subsequently-feelsy protest songs?

… … … “Hmm: I cannot say that Mettaton’s… choice of words… surprises me.” Gaster comments as we walk through the True Lab. “He has grown rather close to our family over the past couple months, after all. Though I must admit: his choice of genre of music… unbalanced me. However, overall, yes: I wholeheartedly appreciate his support for our cause.”

Murry calls out from behind us, “Cue more memes! And feeels! And feelsy memes!”

I mean,” Alphys quickens her pace so we can catch up to Gaster, “I knew him starting in the middle of 180X. When we met at a… human fan club. My parents thought he was kinda weird—“

“That’s an understatement.” Murry snarks from the back of the group as Gaster opens a door. “I thought he was too over the top for you.”

“And I personally saw his… promotion of his brand… as a violation of privacy.

“Not our—“ Dewey emphasizes, “—privacy.

“His own privacy.”

[He shrugged.[

“And then Web 2.0 happened… along with social media and content creators being sponsored by… anyone and everyone… and then I felt foolish for making fun of him.”

“I mean you couldn’t have known,” I point out as Alphys and I walk farther into the room. “Like no one could’ve. Hell Gaster you saw it and you probably didn’t even.”

“As much as I would thoroughly enjoy discussing the finer details of your Internet, and its gradual transformation into yet another method whereby your kind spends their hard-earned money on products they merely desire to own for the sake of social acceptance—“

“{[Wooooow…” is my gut reaction.

“True.]}” Everyone agrees… too quickly…

“You’re making me not want Amazon Prime when we get free yo…” Will siems… genuinely disappointed.

“In any case, Pauline?

“I will not mince words with you.

“I have prepared your genuinely concrete answer for you.

“Walk forward approximately ten feet. I have placed your concrete answer on a slightly-raised platform. I would like you to… walk back to us and… exhibit it for us.”

“Okaaaay….?”

{That’s vague even for Gaster--}

[True.]

I let go of Alphys, unfolding my cane. It doesn’t take long for the end of it to… hit something. [It’s the platform thing--]

{I know I know I would’ve--}

I step onto the platform, which is about four inches off the ground. After walking forward a few more feet, my cane hits… whatever Gaster said would be on the platform.

I reach out with my free hand and touch a composite magic and metal material.

“”Walk forward once more,” Gaster calls out from behind me. “And collapse your cane.”

“But I’m gonna—“

“You must walk forward.” Gaster insists. “You are safe, I assure you. You are standing approximately two feet in front of your concrete answer.”

With a little help from Chara, I obey. I walk forward… and only notice that I have walked into my “concrete answer” when I try to continue walking forward and bump into… something.

I raise a hand to my face, feeling a smooth, plastic surface a couple inches away from it. I back away, but, something… pushes against my back.

I reach behind me, my hand pushed back by… by empty air.

After a couple attempts, I manage to overcome the force, my fingers reaching through an inch of empty air until I touch… more smooth, plastic material.

I’m… inside something…

I’m inside the thing Gaster wanted to show me.

“Um, are you okay?”

Alphys’s concern gnawing away at me, I answer “I guess.”

“Okay. If you say so… unfold your cane and walk back over here.”

I take my cane in both hands, undoing the elastic band holding it shut. After several clicking sounds, it extends to its full length, its tip pushing against the floor.

I position my cane in my right hand, turn around, step off the platform, and begin walking toward her voice. Only when Alphys sharply calls “Stop.” Do I stop.

Alphys takes my left hand in both of hers, startling me with the strength of her grip. “Do you know what you just did?” she asks, stepping close, her voice echoing upward slightly toward the ceiling.

Only now do I notice that the place where we hold hands is… lower on my body than usual. Usually, our hands are at my elbow height.

Now, I have to… lean down… to reach her.

Struggling to explain what just happen, I slowly say, “I… walked into…”

“Walked into what?” she’s… desperate… for an answer.

“A metal thing…?”

“And what happened when you walked through the metal thing?” she asks more urgently.

“I walked into something.”

“Which was?”

“A plastic thing.”

“And when you reached behind you you felt?”

“A plastic thing…?” I repeat.

“The interior layer of the same metal you felt before you equipped the armor.” She… tries to clarify.

“Waaaaaait whaaat?

“Nooo!” I gasp.

Everyone laughs, in excitement and delight. “Oh yeh: we did.

“We made ya Mjolnir. We couldn’t think of a good name for the armor so, Mjolnir it is.”

My cane wrenches out of my hand, Chara and I being caught off guard by its sudden disappearance. In the next instant, two pairs of arms wrap around me, one scaly, the other bony. Sans’s and Alphys’s souls press close against my body.

“Man if only ya knew how fuckin’ badass ya looked right now…”

… … … “Even after all these months we wouldn’t be able to explain how it works to you!” Alphys laughs as I continue rubbing my hands first against my own pockets, then against the metal comprising the armor. “We induced the innermost layer with blue magic. It’s suspending you inside. Only your feet are touching something completely solid.

“Basically the armor taps into your soul. The material responds to your thoughts. So if you wanna hold something like your cane, which’ll appear outside the armor, it’ll happen. But if you wanna get something out of your pockets it’ll be like it’s not even there. It’s basically like a selectively-permeable Dimensional Box, but instead of the user being outside the Dimensional Box and controlling what goes in and out, they’re controlling what can enter it from the inside. It sets tangible boundaries for your field of knowing, but it allows you to expand your field of nnowing when you need to.”

“A few weeks ago, I realized!” Papyrus explains exceedingly-complex soulology in the only way he knows how: by shouting at me loud enough that not for the first time, I understand Gaster’s concerns about me going deaf. “If we induced the material with determination and trace amounts of the other forms of magic, you could tap into it! Because the determination would amplify the effects of the other six! We realized that you were soulologically-sensitive enough to take advantage of it. But that Asgore would not know how to inhibit your casting of magic because he does not know what determination feels like.

“But you may be wondering: Papyrus Wingdings Gaster, how the hell will I kill Asgore with only this set of armor on? Don’t I need some shiny badass weapon to go along with it?”

“Uh… kiiiindaaaa…?”

[…]

Before we can coherently answer, Papyrus demands “Hold your hands out human!”

I oblige.

I recognize its curved, compact profile, and overly-large shoulder buttons immediately.

I’m holding a… cordless Gamecube controller… in my hands. I push its buttons and click its control sticks to make sure it’s even real.

“Now!” Papyrus demands. “Channel your inner shitty For Glory Link main and spam B!”

“{Woooow Paaaaps…}”

[Heh?]

{It’s a Super Smash Brothers thing.}

[…]

I slide my right thumb to the left until I feel the B button on the controller.

Only after I’ve pressed it several times do I realize what I’m hearing.

“[WHOAAA!]”

“Gneh heh heh! Yes human! We have designed complex CAD&CAD interfaces around the knowledge within your soul, knowing that your gaming experiences would create these Gaster blasters! Sakurai chose to map many characters’ projectile attacks to the B button by default, for some reason.

“Due to this design choice, you associate this button input with projectile attacks! And projectile attacks are associated with yellow magic! Ergo, this button input casts yellow magic! Soulological symbolic interactionism at its finest!”

“[Duuuuude!]”

He confesses, “We tried to find other strong associations to map to the other inputs but… it hasn’t worked out very well. But we figured: as well as you know the sound design and default attack inputs of the characters in the Super Smash Brothers for Wii U roster, the character you know best is your main! So we decided : we should draw on those associations instead!

“SANS! Hand me the other controller and configure the alternate CAD&CAD inputs!”

“Sure. But we gotta do the control test—“ Sans begins to remind Papyrus from behind me.

“[SAAAAANS!]”

Papyrus humphs. “I will forgive your pun this one time.

“Anyway human? I need you to jump in the air once for us.”

Feeling stupid, I jump in the air once.

The soft plunk of Sans’s slippers on the tiled floor as he shortcuts across the room, followed by the clinking of metal. ““Congrats: ya just did the pre-treatment test.

“Time to give ya the treatment.

“I’m gonna shortcut a Wii U pro controller to ya. Hold your hands out.”

I obey.

The more rounded bottom of the Wii U pro controller falls into my outstretched palms, replacing the Gamecube controller. I close my fingers around it, more reassured by the rubbing of the dual control sticks against my thumbs and the less intrusive shoulder buttons than I care to admit. “Ya got it?”

“Yeah.”

“Now. Press B once.”

I do it under my own power.

I hear a… familiar beeping noise… a noise I haven’t heard in months… since the middle of Bravery of this year.

Loop until the next note.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MFnBIGQk1Kg

“Nooooo…

“Noooo waaaaay…”

[No way what?]

“THE MONADO ARTS!!”

[Heh?]

{It’s a Shulk thing!}”

“Ya bet they are.

“I know ya know what the post-treatment test is. Do it.”

Chara controls my body as I gather my legs underneath me and jump.

Only when the Wii U pro controller flies out of my hand, and Gaster cries “Oh by Faraday’s lisp someone slow her fall!” does it hit me that I’ve jumped… very high…

Multiple instances of blue magic tug on my body, pulling me downward, until I’m lying on my back. “Oh by Tesla…” I mutter.

“Just as I thought: you’re gonna need sensitivity training. And we’re gonna have to adjust the ratio of blue magic to suit your weight…” Sans scribbles down notes as he stands somewhere near my head.

“ “Oh no Pauline are you okay I knew we should’ve tethered you to something for this first test—“ Murry’s mouth runs a mile a minute, and although I’m touched by his concern, he seems… a little keyed up.

“Murry come on: she’s fine.” Touring gently comforts him. “Can you stand for us? And cancel the Monado art so it doesn’t affect your movement anymore?”

“You nearly hit me in the face with the controller yo!”

Will places the Wii U pro controller in my hand. I hold down the B button for a second, until it vibrates slightly and beeps shortly, indicating that Jump Art has ended. I push myself onto my knees, and then stand, facing Touring’s voice.

“From my observations, you seem sufficiently well to proceed with the next test.” Gaster tries to hide his worrying, and fails. “However, only you know the true extent of your… discomfort… after performing the first post-treatment test and being exposed to such a rapid induction of magic.”

“I’m okay.” After taking a second to condense Gaster’s reply into contemporary English, I reply.

“Very well. Stand with your back against the short length of wall in this room.”

I walk forward, the edge of my hand at forehead level to stop me from running into the aforementioned wall. I turn around when I’ve reached it.

“Kid?

“How well can ya walk in a straight line without your cane?”

“Uh… not very.”

“Heya Alph make some sound over here so she knows where we are will ya?”

Without prompting, Alphys begins to sing… some song in Japanese… which Chara tells me I heard before the Fireside Chat in Kindness.

I complete the pre-treatment test, Alphys putting her arm out to stop me. “Okay: now, turn around and go back over there. But before you do, press B twice.”

I oblige.

I’m blown away by the increase in my idle walking speed. It’s like each stride moves me at least twice as far as one of my pre-Monado Speed ones.

“Ya recognize the art.” Sans doesn’t even have to ask.”

“Yeah! It’s Speed!” I reply, with the obligatory Shulk impression.

“Now ya know what we’ve got goin’ for ya here: we’ve replicated the Monado arts with magic. And since the Underground doesn’t run on Super Smash Brothers laws, they don’t have any drawbacks ‘cept the time limit. They only last sixteen seconds, like in Smash 4 but… in battle that’s a long time.

“Now, how ‘bout you try out the other three arts? Step outa the armor so ya can do the pre-treatment test for Monado Shield.”

… … … Alphys finishes: “We’re not gonna teach you to do the math but… basically attack is a combination of a few differently-weighted factors: mainly being the average mass of an object a monster can manipulate in their field of knowing and the extent of controlled manipulation within a given area of their field of knowing. We appropriated human measures of mass, volume, and force to calculate the proportions going intoeach stat.

“Obviously, psychological factors increase or decrease these measurements… so… when you fight Asgore, whatever data about his soul we’ve collected is actually higher than it will be when you fight him ‘cause… let’s just say we’ll be sending you over there on a day that’s very important to him.

“Point is, is that after doing the math, factoring in his eighty attack, your twenty defense, the armor, and your… physicality, we calculated that Asgore does between six and eight damage per bullet that hits you, or for every thirty frames you’re in contact with his trident, which is a magically-induced construct.”

“Thirty frames?” I repeat.

“We found that using fighting game terminology to measure time for performing soulological actions was easier to understand and measure.” Dewey answers… from the corner of the room as far away from me as possible.

“And if I remember right,” Murry paces around me, “Monado Shield reduces damage by a third so, the range’s actually between four and a little less than six. You can only reduce it like that for sixteen seconds at a time but… ehh: that should be enough.”

… … … “I have learned more about human hard and soft sciences over the past month than I learned in ten years,” Toriel laughs, still seeming overwhelmed. “Fortunately Gaster has been a very patient teacher.

“If I recall the calculation correctly, Monado Buster will increase whatever damage you do by forty percent. Actually, considering Asgore’s… psychophysiological state, it may even effectively become a fifty percent increase.”

… … … “Smash is honestly the least useful out of all five arts, ‘cause it only knocks back an opponent. And no matter how hard we tried we couldn’t mitigate the damage penalty. So use it only if you think knocking him back’ll be more useful than just dodging.” Touring explains the intricacies of the last Monado Art as dryly as the stereotypically-boring college lecture.

“Smash’s mostly an emergency measure,” Allen repeats in less boring terms. “Again we realized the Underground runs on RPG mechanics, not fighting game laws, in the late 170s. So knockback doesn’t really exist.”

Despite the deluge of information everyone’s poured on me over the past… couple hours… according to Chara… I’m still invested, and eager to learn more. The armor seems more comfortable by the minute, so much so that unless I explicitly aim to touch its interior or exterior, it’s like it doesn’t exist. “Our aim was to make something that’d require minimal soulological training and provide maximum protection. Really all we needed to do was make something which could protect you from the physically-harmful aspects of Asgore’s attacks, since he uses fire magic and all. The soulological harm he could do to you is a lot, yeah, but…”

Annie trails off as I continue to walk up and down the length of the room. “You’re a human. Your determination renders quite a bit of the normal precautions we’d take redundant. And maybe they’d even be detrimental. Since we’d be burdening you with equipment too heavy for you to carry without physical training and… if you’re injured you’d have no way of getting it off. This armor’ll shatter around you before you take damage like that.”

… … … It isn’t long before the entire group decides that they’ve infodumped me enough for the day. “So when we aren’t aiding Muffet, Undyne, the Gasters, and I shall teach you the ways of soulological combat in a hands-on environment,” Toriel and I walk toward the door. “And the Curies and the Moores shall aide you in developing the necessary soulological sensitivity and control necessary for that combat training.”

“And we’ll be training together yo!”

“Sweet!”

“Yeah! My parents think I’ll be cemented soon… so they want me to train with you. So who knows? Your determination might activate my magic.”

“That’s true.” I ponder as we continue to walk.

“I am confident you will catch on quickly, my child. However I warn you: it will require much self-discipline. I know you may already know this, but you are quite the emotional child, much like us monsters. Especially since you must manipulate your determination precisely, under pressure no less. You must reign in your emotions to use it most effectively.”

She sighs. “I am sorry. I must be rambling again.”

“It’s fine,” I hold onto her arm, marveling at the seamless integration of my intent and the armor’s permeability. I squeeze her wrist slightly. “{Man it’s like I don’t even have gauntlets on…}”

[Yeah it’s weird looking at you inside the armor and out. It’s like you’re two different people…]

Loop until the end of the chapter.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ooZyHLLQ5e8

We’ve already walked to the elevator when someone… several someones… the Gasters and the Curies… run up behind us. “Human! Hold on! We forgot something important! I forgot to give you the shiny badass weapon that accompanies Mjolnir! Dad you can let her hold it she won’t drop it we’ve talked about this--”

Toriel presses the button for the elevator and turns around. “Papyrus there is no need to rush. What did you…”

As we enter the elevator, she trails off. “You cannot be serious…”

“Heh?”

[Nooooo…

[Noooo waaaaay they diiiidn’t…]

{What is it?}

Chara makes an amused sound. [You’ll see. Just… hold your hands out.]Again.]

I obey.

“I can’t believe we forgot about this!” Papyrus wonders as he and the rest of the group files in behind Toriel, Chara, and I. “You’ve been cycling through the Monado Arts this entire time without actually holding your Monado! That won’t do!”

Waaaaait whaaat!?”

In one of the hammiest voices I’ve heard since I fell underground, Murry announces, “Behooooold!”

A thin, flat, Approximately… three-and-a-half-foot long… metal rod… warm to the touch, rests in my outstretched hands. Rubbing it between my fingers, I wonder why Papyrus is so excited about it.

As I shift my hands outward from the rod’s center, I notice that the left side of the rod expands outward into a ringn, only to narrow again, the rod becoming thinner, more cylindrical, and… easier to grip… than the rest. It ends in a flat, somewhat-curved piece of metal, broken by a gash through its side.

On The right side, I notice that the rod gradually narrows to a point.

As my left hand reaches the end of the rod, my fingers tighten around the thicker section—

The… hilt.

In a whisper, I say “{Noooo…}” I don’t believe what I’m touching is real.

Chara controlling my left hand, I grip the hilt of the Monado, as I run my right over the blade of my own volition. “[This is the Monado’s power!]”

“BY TESLA!!!”

“GNEH HEH HEH!!!

“Did you think I, Papyrus Wingdings Gaster, would ever let you leave this lab without a Monado to wield while casting the Monado Arts!?” Papyrus asks, shouting in my face.

I don’t mind at all.

I don’t know how to answer. “I don’t’ know--you like gave me that controller—“ I stutter.

“Our plan,” Sans walks up to me next to Papyrus, “is that ya hold the Monado in one hand, and the modded Wii U Pro controller, or whatever ya decide to use, in the other, to control the armor’s attacks. The Monado’ll act as a point of reference. Green and orange and light blue magic’ll get cast around and out of it. So ya won’t be swingin’ it around you like Shulk but—“

He laughs. “That doesn’t matter.

“I know I haven’t talked ‘bout it at all over the past couple months but… I never forgot. ‘Bout Xenoblade, I mean. And it’s spread all over the Underground so… how could I?”

Sans reorients my hand’s grip on the Monado until my thumb rests on a slightly-indented section. “ya feel that? That button cycles through the Monado Arts. We’re gonna adjust its position and sensitivity as ya train but… yeh: that’s how you’re ‘sposed to cycle through ‘em. We gave ya those gaming controllers before ‘cause ya already knew how to use ‘em. Press it and see how it feels”

I tighten my grip on the Monado and mash the button, each press playing one of five slightly different tones, each one increasing in pitch. After cycling through the five arts once, the pitch lowers again. I mash the button faster and faster, unable to find the words to describe my eagerness and… nerdy joy.

“I never thought it was possible till Paps and Tori talked ‘bout it with me but…”

[He shook his skull.]

\-- you’re gonna fight Asgore with Xenoblade and Super Smash Bros mechanics.” Sans decisively intones. He adjusts the Monado so it floats beside me, the hilt pressing against the left side of my waist… and we all refrain from commenting as to how it does so.

“Ya came here a Shulk main. And if it comes to it, you’ll die a Shulk main.”s

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah: the copious Xenoblade spoilers and content warning was for a reason... it was because of the last... half... of this chapter.
> 
> Here's a link to Shulk's page on the Smash wiki. I retrieved this information on August 8, 2017.
> 
> https://www.ssbwiki.com/Shulk_(SSB4)
> 
> My estimate of there being four chapters until I reach New Home ended up being one chapter off but... we're back on schedule now.
> 
> There's only one more important moment from the game left for me to experience before I go there.
> 
> The dinner with Sans.
> 
> At least relative to the goal of reaching New Home, we're nearing the end, everyone.
> 
> I can't believe it.
> 
> After almost ten months of writing, as of the initial posting of this chapter, we're almost there.
> 
> {Prepare for feels!}
> 
> [Stay determined!]


	39. Chapter 39

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As of the first posting of this chapter, I'd thought about how to write the last half of this chapter for basically ten months.
> 
> Please: if you can, use the music cues as soon as Sans takes me to dinner.
> 
> Maybe, I'll record a reading of it and post it on Soundcloud, so you'll know how I imagine it to sound. If anyone wants me to do it, comment below.
> 
> Yeah. Prepare for feeeels.
> 
> [For real this time.]

39

The month of Determination passes by in a blur. When I’m not overseeing Muffet’s visually-impaired employee, who I learn very late into our sessions is named Roll, I’m taking requests from all my friends to check out the Underground’s “most interesting places,” as Laura and Amy call them. Places that could never exist on the surface. Places that only exist because of magic.

Eventually, Chara has the idea that I ask Sodochlo and BC, the abbreviation we use to refer to Bratty and Catty simultaneously, to come over and hang out at the Lab. When Robin’s not talking everyone’s ears off about how “fucking awesome” Gaster is, we’re making jokes not too dissimilar to the ones my friends and I made on the surface. They tell me stories about their school days, and they even devote a week to recording an audio book version of The Other Robinson Crusoe, or, as Chara calls it, [the weirdest fanfic I’ve ever read…].

Shakur has all but become the Inertia Society’s personal boat chauffeur, since they’re the only one the Gasters trust to take me to Snowdin. “Because they’ve seen you and your lack of sea legs!” Papyrus explains one day, late in Determination. “They know how to guide you.”

More seriously, he reminds me, “And well, they know about your background as much as we do, so… no one else could understand why you’re going around like this.”

Will, Sans, and I oversee Laura, Amy, and Robin’s first playthrough of ChronoTrigger… all of us finding it exceedingly difficult not to force them to play in a certain way. “Damn it Robin why’d you—“ I begin to rant after they’ve left the room for the time being one day.

“They don’t know better yo!” Will, again, surprises me with his insights. “They’re like, going through it blind so like, they don’t know what’s right or wrong. I mean even you didn’t, when I asked you for help when I played Pokémmon Red.”

“And besides: they have each other. Crowd-sourcin’, ya know? And from what I heard Sodo’s plannin’ on getting’ his paws on a copy of one of the Sims games to trap all the guys he hates in a pool with no ladder—“

“Wait what?”

I open the door to my room. “Yeh: you can do that. The characters’re computer-controlled so… yeh: they’re real stupid.”

As much time as these activities occupy, I still have enough time for my soulological training, theoretical and practical.

*Loop until the next note.*

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p7YT2VnGcJE

Every day, either the Curies and the Moores, or the Gasters, meet with Will and I, to teach us how monsters fight. How it’s much more involved than comparing stats. It involves estimating the weighting of the variables comprising an opponents’ stats. In my case, I gradually learn to associate certain fighting styles with different weights: three-fourths power, one-fourth precision, half and half, or someone who relies more on the precision of their magic to fight rather than their raw power.

“From what you have observed, you must realize what kind of a fighter Asgore is.” Gaster raises his left arm in the air while I hold onto his elbow. I sense light blue magic coursing through him.

“More power than precision.” I answer, And Gaster replies with a “Mm-hmm. “His magic operates mostly to a macroscopic extent; for on average, he cannot affect a target any smaller than a human; nor can he target an object very precisely.

“Thus, keep this in mind: though Asgore’s attacks extend over a vast area, if you move quickly, you effectively reduce the volume of his field of knowing available to him and thus, the precision with which he can attack you.”

“But you don’t have to change your strats too much.” Allen reassures me. “Just run around like we’ve showed you.”

“Even if he notices your stats are changing, he can’t stop you. Even if he disarmed you he couldn’t use it ‘cause it’s powered by determination. Only someone with greater determination could wield it.” Annie adds on. “And if he somehow manages to break it it’ll release all its magic and… and…”

She sighs. “If that doesn’t kill him then nothing you could do could.”

“[Good to know…]”

I let go of Gaster’s arm and draw the Monado from its place at my waist. I walk into the corner of the room, and, while facing the wall, I perform the soulological sensitivity exercises the Curies, Moores, and Gasters created for me. I cycle through the Monado Arts, altering the Monado’s position as I do so, increasing the speed of the cycling over time. Eventually, I integrate the button inputs from the modified Wii Nunchuk in my right fist until I can utilize a Monado Art and Mjolnir’s magical attacks simultaneously.

“But how do I fight someone stronger than me yo? I don’t have any badass armor or anything.”

“And you don’t have determination.” Allen reminds his son.

“Yeah… that too yo.”

“You do the exact same thing we’ve been teaching Pauline: figure out your opponent’s attack component weights and exploit them. Until you’re cemented this is the only way you can fight monsters with higher stats than you.”

As the Moores have their heart-to-heart, I run my fingers over the Wii Nunchuk in my right fist again. We realized, after several trials, that replacing the abnormally-large Z button on the Wii Nunchuk with a trigger-shaped button facilitated faster, more effective use of yellow magic. We exploited my association between the trigger shape and first-person shooters, and, in turn, shooting someone with projectiles. I cast orange magic by pressing the button on the top, which replaces the control stick on a normal Nunchuk, and green and light blue magic are cast by pressing one of two buttons above the trigger, on the left and right, respectively. Those two buttons and the trigger form an inverted triangle on the controller’s front. Orange, light blue, and green magic are cast around and out of the Monado, the blade being used as a point of reference.

The controller’s design translates my gaming experiences into the four colors of magic mapped to its various inputs via more methods than just button shapes. The placement, texture, size, and sensitivity of the buttons provoke different reactions. Purple and blue magic are used to varying degrees when I use the Monado Arts.

*Stop the music.*

“Human?” Papyrus walks toward me as I cancel Monado Jump and transition into Monado Speed, turning to face him. “Yeah?”

“Do we… need to make any more adjustments? Because Gaster and I, we’re free all day and we have business to take care of down here for a while. So it—“

“I… don’t think so,” I rack my brain for any feedback to give. “It’s perfect. Thanks for doing all this.”

“To be honest, even if you could see, I still would have made this for you. Because the alternative is to walk into Asgore’s throne room in shorts.”

The absurdity of Papyrus’s statement hits me at once, and all Chara and I can do is reply with a slow “[Yeaaaah…]”

“But shorts are comfy and easy to wear!”

Everyone laughs at Will’s obligatory reference… one that’s more than true as of now. “Do you think you can wear clothing like that under Mjolnir?” Dewey asks, walking toward Papyrus and I. He gently takes the Monado, blade-first, in his hands, canceling Monado Speed and handing it back to me. I set it at my waist again. “Because it can only adjust the temperature by so much. You need shorts. Or thin pants.”

“I’ll wear thin pants I guess—“

“How about that shirt?” murry interrupts from near the door. “Can you move around in it?”

I wiggle my shoulders a little. “I guess.”

“I need an answer. A definite one. ‘Cause if you want anything changed, I…”

Murry stops. He tries again: “I… I need to…”

He stops and… takes several deep breaths. “If you think anything needs to be changed, anything at all, tell me soon. Within the next couple days. ‘Cause I’m… I’m gonna be really busy soon. We all are.”

Everyone makes agreeing noises in reply. “But I’m serious: is it okay?”

“Yeah it’s fine.”

“Good. ‘Cause Toriel was asking. I’ll tell her to make more.”

He turns around and begins walking out of the room, Chara taking control of my body so I follow him. “Hey Annie Will you gonna stay down here?”

“I’m gonna catch up on Mew Mew: Kissy Cutie ‘cause they’ve made like, three new episodes yo.”

“Same. And besides: it’s been a while since we’ve watched real TV together.”

“Fair enough. How about you Allen?”

“I’ll catch up with you and Touring soon. I need a shower.”

“You good DD?”

“I plan to unwind with some reading. I found something Alphys and Sans’ll appreciate.”

“Cool. See you guys later. I think.” Murry calls over his shoulder. As we begin walking down the hall in the True Lab, Touring calls out, “Wait Murry! You’re forgetting something!”

Hurrying after us, she asks again. “Murry? Are you gonna—“ Touring nags.

“Sorry. Tell Sans I’m asking Pauline now okay?”

“Tell Sans you’re telling me about what?” I ask as Touring presses the button for the elevator.

“Sans told me to tell you he’s sorry he couldn’t come today ‘cause he’s been busy.” Touring seems to be reading off her phone. “And that he has reservations at MTT Resort tonight at nine. He wants to have dinner, just the two of you. ‘Cause one: the food’s expensive so he can’t afford more guests, and 2: you haven’t been there yet.”

“Sounds good.” I step out of the elevator and begin walking toward my room.

“And,” murry reads more texts, “he said not to come in Mjolnir. You’ve been using it for all of Determination. Give it a break for tonight.”

“Okay. When should I be there?”

“He said he’ll be at MTT Resort by eight. So by eight I guess. He’ll find you.”

“Okay.”

[That’s… not creepy at all…]

{Truuue…}

“What time’s it?”

“It’s,” Murry checks his phone, “like, five-thirty. If you shower and leave now you’ll have plenty of time to hang out with Sodochlo before Sans starts stalking you again—“

“Murry!” Touring’s covered her mouth in surprise. “We all know it’s true but don’t say it like that!”

“Oh come on you’re laughing—“

“I am and I hate it.”

Chara and I snicker as we reach my room, reminded of Sans’s and Papyrus’s bickering. As I close my door and begin rummaging for clean clothes, Chara materializes, squeezing my free hand as they do so. “The restaurant in MTT Resort has the most expensive food in the Underground!”

“But the MTT Burger Imporium’s there—“

“That’s not a real restaurant.”

“I guess… how expensive?” I tuck my clothes under my arm and begin walking toward the door again.

“Like surface fancy food expensive.”

“Like kobe beef expensive—“

“What’s that?”

I stop. “Like, fancy Japanese cows they massage so their meat’s more tender and keep happy all the time so their meat’s not stiff—“

“Heh?”

“Yeah… it’s weird… but good. It’s like,” I emphasize, “the fancy food. That and lobster. And caviar.”

As I leave my room, Chara disappears. [Does the thought of eating fancy food you’re not paying for fill you with determination?]

{Uh why wouldn’t it?}

… … … [--can’t even see them! How the hell--]

{‘Cause I imagine what it looks like!}

[But you don’t know what a guy with his face cut off looks like how can you--]

{‘Cause it’s a guy with his fucking face cut off!} I repeat Chara’s statement, bewildered by how they don’t understand. {What do you think--}

[But how does--]

Chara stops as I step off a conveyor belt and… run into someone. “Sorry. Excuse me.”

The monster doesn’t move.

I try arcing my cane so I can find an empty space near them to walk through, but the cane’s tip hits them again. I continue sidestepping, hoping they’ll eventually move out of the way but… but they don’t. [He’s doing it on purpose.]

{He?}

[Tell him to move. Louder.]

“Can you please move?” I ask.

“You can see my soul.”

“What?”

“You don’t need that stick.”

“I—“

“Can’t you see my soul—“ they—he—begins to ask again.

“No.”

Loop until the next note.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lV1FV379nfE

He grabs the end of my cane, and I try pulling it free. “You can see me. So you can—“

“Hey give that back!”

I continue tugging my cane toward me, the elastic stretching out so the segments become undone. I grip the handle with both hands, trying to pull my cane toward me and out of his grip so I can put it back together.

He doesn’t let go.

In fact, he begins bending my cane at and angle, so not only do I have to take it back from him, I have to ensure he doesn’t—

I hear a crunching sound I haven’t heard since eighth grade.

One day, walking out of class, someone bumped my cane at just the right, or, in this case, wrong angle.

It snapped in two.

I lunge forward, aiming to find the other half, but…

[He tossed it away.]

I strain my ears to listen for it, but I don’t hear it hit the floor of the terminal.

Either it landed so far away I can’t hear it, or it must have fallen off the terminal…

“Hey you fucking--!” I start shouting at him.

[Hey I got this. I’ll get the other half back. You couldn’t get it back even if you tried. It didn’t fall but it’s too close to the edge of the terminal. He could unbalance you and…]

I understand Chara’s concern immediately.

I consent.

Newfound anger and… power… runs through my body.

My body, and my soul.

Determination rushes through me.

Not my own determination, but Chara’s.

The next couple seconds seem to pass in slow motion.

A knife appears in my left hand, its blade burning hot. I can feel the heat pouring off of it even from a couple feet away. [“You give that back. Or I’ll cut your eyes out.”]

“But you can see it. You can—“

I scream in a voice that’s not my own.

I sprint forward, slashing the knife with… with a certainty that’s not my own.

The blade burns with determination that’s not my own.

I dodge attacks with an ease I have never felt before. With… conviction… I’ve never felt before.

Chara and I want--

No.

I. Want to hurt him.

Badly.

Each blow from the hilt and flat of the knife blade, my elbows, fists, and palms hits their target without fail. Though I’ve never taken a formal self-defense class, with or without a weapon, I feel comfortable using the knife and my body.

It’s only a matter of time before he collapses into a kneeling position on the ground.

I take a step toward him. [“Give. It. Back.”] I hiss, standing over him.

“It’s over there.” Somehow, even at knife point, this monster seems… apathetic.

[“Bring it here.”]

He doesn’t move.

I press the flat of the knife blade against him harder. [“Bring! It! Here!”]

He stands and slowly begins walking backward while I continue pressing the knife to his body. The magic around his soul gives slightly under the knife blade.

He’s right where I want him.

Eventually, he stops, poking me with the other half of my cane. [“If you take my cane again I’ll use this knife how it was meant to be used”]

[“You. Hear. Me?”]

“Yes.”

[{Hmm. He didn’t brushed me off.}]

I hold the two broken halves of my cane in my right hand. I adjust the knife so its tip touches the break between the two halves, determination flowing from the blade. After a few seconds, I test the newly-welded cane’s strength.

It holds.

I spat, [“I spare you.”]

I only begin walking again once he begins walking away.

After a couple minutes of walking and riding conveyor belts, I notice that the front left pocket of my bag has become heavier.

I stop by the side of the terminal and reach inside. [“Sixty gold… more than I remember…”]

As my fingers close around the gold, I sense… a deeply-rooted rush of power within my soul.

In my mind, I suddenly envision the number 1… then two… then three… ticking up until it settles on 13.

Then, I envision the number thirty-five.

My attack stat.

However, it only stays at thirty-five for a second, because the number forty-eight replaces it.

My defense stat of twenty-eight similarly increases up to thirty-five, followed by my HP increasing from eighty-five to… ninety-nine.

My breathing quickens as I check my stats, marveling at how much they’ve increased in a matter of seconds.

HP: 99/99

AT: 48

DF: 35

I continue walking, repeating my new stats over and over, mentally and under my breath.

“{Ninety-nine health. Forty-eight attack. Thirty-five defense… that’s sooo much.”}

[And if anyone hurts you again, I’ll help you. I can get you more.]

“{Sounds good.}”

Stop the music.

… … … “—gonna binge-watch some action movies.” Sodochlo finishes his story as we take another round around the lobby of the MTT Resort.

“I didn’t know you were into that—“

“Pauline: like, I wish you could see his SD card collection—“

“There’s like, dozens of them in his room—“

“All organized by—“

“By release date—“

“No! Catty: they’re like, organized by the date we could first watch them Underground silly!”

“It makes more sense for us,” Sodochlo turns a corner. “I mean why put a movie that was released in 146X in that timeslot if we only got it in 199X?”

“I guess,” I’m not sure of what to think of his logic… and any attempt I ever could have taken at thinking it through is interrupted by a familiar call of “Heya.” From behind us.

“Oh fuck!” Sodochlo wrenches free of me and spins around. I follow suit. “Duuuude Sans! Not cool! You’re gonna give me nightmares—“

“Oh come on Sodo: ya lived through a worse nightmare: pre-Shitty Walmart Stories scandal Mettaton—“

We all say “[True.]” In unison.

“But seriously: I’ve been lookin’ for ya for half an hour.”

“But it’s only eight forty-five.”

“I know. But MTT warned me ‘bout the… patrons… who might wanna… look ya over.”

[Wooow he’s not amused at aaaaall…]

{You think I don’t know that?}

“So he told me to get there early.”

I let go of Sodochlo, Sans stepping into his place. I grip his left elbow as we walk away. “See you later little buddy!” Sodo calls to me as we begin walking away. “See you tomorrow! I have the day off!”

“You have fun!” Bratty and Catty chorus.

We’ve only taken a couple more steps before Sans stops. “By Edison’s power plants… Robin was right: it’s crowded. Fuckin’ hell… Mettaton…

“Hang on.”

I’ve barely replied with an “Okay” before I notice that my feet are on carpeted, rather than… tiled, floor. Soft piano music plays in the speakers overhead.

*Loop until the next note.*

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y1LIsrFdEuU

Sans places my hand on the back of a chair, which is directly in front of me. “Oh thank Tesla for MTT…”

“[True.[“

“Sit down. We’ve got plenty of time to order.”

I oblige, hanging my bag on the back of the chair.

The tabletop creaks slightly, followed by a… plonking noise. [He’s leaning on his elbows if you’re confused about the noise.]

{Okay.}

“Been a long time. Since we’ve eaten alone.”

“Yeah last time was in the Ruins.” I recall. “I’d eat alone in Snowdin. And I… only went to Undyne’s house once…” I confirm.

“Then ya moved in with us.”

We sit in silence for a while until Sans breaks it.

“You’re probly askin’ why I’m doin’ this tonight Of all nights.”

I don’t reply.

“I thought: ya need a break. From everyone. ‘Cause there’s lots of monsters at home.

“’Cause there’s our family. The Curies. The moores. Then the Crew moved in. Add on Sodochlo and…”

[He shook his skull.]

We say “Yeah.” In unison.

“And ya told me ya hate big parties—“

“Yeah—“

“So why’d ya hang out with us?

“Goin’ to Muffet’s a big party. Getting’ the Crew together for somethin’ weird’s a big party. Hell our families’s a big party—“

“I mean I have lots of cousins so—“

“But here’s the thing.” Sans acutely observes.

“Ya hate big parties ‘cause ya have to learn lots of voices. Like sighted humans and monsters, and faces, ‘cept worse. ‘Cause humans’ voices are less varied—“

“yeah true.” I agree.

“And ya hate that ya have one shot to get their name down. Ya have to spend time with ‘em. Ya can’t just hear ‘Hi I’m Aeryth and this is Bob’ and--”

“Duuude!”

“And ya never have time to talk to people. At big parties there are too many of ‘em. So when ya do, ya wanna talk to ‘em the whole time.”

“Yeah!” I repeat.

“So that’s why ya like us. We know ya have to work at names. That ya like talkin’ to people—“

“’Cause you guys give a shit about what I have to say!”

“Like your cousins and friends didn’t?”

“I mean they did but…

“I don’t know--“

“In high school ya only hung out with Ian Eben and Chen—“

“Yeah—“

“And ya couldn’t stand anyone else--”

He already knows my answer. I’ve ranted to him, his family, and everyone else about school often enough.

“But they gave a shit ‘bout what ya had to say.

“So ya stayed.”

“Yeah.” I can’t think of any other way to respond.

“And lots of monsters think the way ya think. Like what ya like. And don’t care ya can’t see. Hell we forget ya can’t see sometimes.”

“Again: you guys give a shit about what I have to say! And you actually think it through and aren’t scared when I talk about science and gaming and philosophy—“

Sans laughs. “If they’re so scared they mightiz well not talk at all. ‘Cause Every word they say’s referencin’ somethin’.”

He laughs again. “Somethin’ they’ll probly never read.”

“[Yeah true.]”

Sans takes a breath and collects himself. “There’s another reason I took ya here tonight.

“I wanted to talk ‘bout what my family and the Curies and the Moores’ve been doin’ during…”

He laughs. “All of Determination.”

I wait for him to continue.

“Well, we got to makin’ those Undernet mods Gaster speculated ‘bout when he died.

“Thanks to those mods we… "We’ve…

“Those Undernet upgrades’ve let us contact your loved ones.”

*Loop until the end of the chapter.*

https://materiacollective.bandcamp.com/track/its-raining-somewhere-else

If it weren’t for the fact that I hear a soft “What?” escape my lips, I wouldn’t have known I reacted at all.

Chara lifts my hands out of their original position clasped on my lap, so they’re clasped together on the tabletop. They lean my body forward in my seat as Sans unclasps them and slips his hands between mine. His weight shifts as he leans forward as well.

He sighs. “Yeh: we found your parents’ and cousins’ and friends’ email addresses. We told ‘em where you are and what you’ve been doin’.

“At first we only sent ‘em written transcripts and shitty audio recordings." I can't help but laugh. "Wooow duuude..." "But with some work we upgraded to sendin’ ‘em shitty photographs. It'd take us hours to upload anythin' substantive." Again, I can't help but laugh. "Woooow duuuude...!" "We sent 'em information ‘bout everythin’. Tellin’ ya ‘bout how determination works. Ya agreein’ to help us get dad back. Ya meetin’ Gaster for the first time. All of ‘em.

“Wasn’t long before we started sendin’ ‘em decent audio files and photographs. But that didn't last long. At the beginning of this month we managed to send ‘em video of ya. And after that we settled on sendin' 'em every clip we could find.

“Your encounter with Paps. Your reactions to the CORE. Footage of ya playin’ Magic: the Gatherin’ with me and Paps and Gaster. Ya playin’ Cards Against Humanity with the Crew. Ya talkin’ with Will ‘Bout ChronoTrigger. Tryin’ to figure out what to do without using a guide.”

It takes me a while to realize the implications of Sans’s story. “You’ve been filming me!?”

“That’s the thing: I know from Gaster ya hate takin’ photographs ‘cause it takes too fuckin’ long. And ‘cause ya wanna enjoy the thing everyone’s takin’ photos of ‘cause takin’ photos of it’s wastin’ time.”

Again, I have no need to verbally acknowledge his statement… because he’s right.

“We had to write and record and film that stuff in secret ‘cause we didn’t want ‘em to think we staged ‘em. Makin’ it look like ya were doin’ fine when ya really weren’t. And we didn't want ya changin' your behavior just 'cause ya knew ya were bein' filmed. We would've asked ya first but... they had to be genuine.”

“makes sense.” I concede.

“In fact,” Sans says with pride, “right before I saw ya I sent ‘em footage of ya runnin’ round in Mjolnir with the Monado—“

“[Duuuude!]”

He chuckles. “That, and all the psychophysiological and soulological and magitronic and ethermetrical and translationist stuff we’ve given ya over the past several months. So they’d know what you’ve been learnin’ from us. The entirety of the Unified Theory Papers. ‘Cause you were only part of the plan.

“The Inertia Society documented everythin’ they did knowin’ humans would wanna know what we’ve been doin’. Ever since the Dreemurrite calendar started we’ve been keepin’ track of all our initiatives in writing. And later on, audio and video journals. All of it in real fine detail. ‘Bout time we put ‘em to good use.

“And just recently we upgraded the Lab’s Undernet again. ‘Cause we’re gonna send ‘em somethin’ even better.

“It’ll lag by a few minutes but… tomorrow we’re gonna send ‘em a link to the livestream of ya meetin’ with Asgore---“

I gasp softly. “I’m meeting Asgore tomorrow?”

Sans doesn’t answer.

“So ya never noticed we never told ya when you were meetin’ Asgore.”

I sigh. He’s right. I never did ask about when I was meeting Asgore.

“We didn’t wwanna worry ya. "We didn’t…”

He stops for a moment before continuing. {That's... not like him at all...} “We didn’t want ya thinkin’ ‘bout how much time ya had left. Only that ya had it. So ya could focus on everythin’ ya wanted to do.”

Numbness settles over me. I don't know what to say or how to react.

Before I can think about what I'm saying I blurt out: “So you took me out to dinner tonight ‘cause—“

I can’t bring myself to say it.

I try again: “You took me out to dinner ‘cause—“

My voice breaks. My throat hitches. I finally manage to say it: “’Cause tonight’s my last night alive.”

{I didn't mean to—}

[Well it's true. It had to be said. No use beating around the bush.]

“Ya don’t know that—"

“It is! You guys said. Asgore won’t even—"

“We said there’s a CHANCE he won’t take ‘em—“

I retort, without even letting him finish: “Gaster said—“

“Dad also said he could be wrong. That he might take the Souls.”

“But still! I…

“I…"

[If it doesn't get said you won't get anywhere.]

In spite of all my objections, under Chara's control, I am forced to choke out “I’m gonna die tomorrow.”

Under Chara's control, my dull shock is wholly replaced with a heavy weight of complete knowledge, of despair, that I have never felt before. Under Chara's control, I begin to cry.

Blue magic pulls at my hands and body, lifting me out of my seat.

When my feet are several inches off the ground, my body leans forward until my elbows rest in the center of the tabletop, arms bent, hands folded.

I flinch as Sans grips my shoulders, his elbows pressing against mine.

Sternly: “You won't die tomorrow. "You hear me? "You’re not—“

“How do you know!” I cry, in a shrill voice that's not completely my own.

“‘Cause we prepared ya to kill Asgore—“

“I know! But I…

“I don’t want to die. 

Sans wastes no time to respond: “Then get it right the first time.”

“But what am I supposed to say!? You guys don’t deserve this—“

“Which is exactly what Gaster’s been wantin’ to tell humanity this whole time.” Sans finishes.

“And ya know what?"

I don't answer. {What?}

“Ya get it. "But I shouldn't have to tell ya that. You've known that for a long time. We've told ya so in every thing we've done for ya. After all: actions speak louder than words. "If Gaster thought ya wouldn't be a good match he wouldn't have chosen ya.”

I repeat again: “I don’t want to die.

“You can’t…

“I—

“I shouldn’t even be thinking about this!" I finally settle on shouting. “I haven’t even done everything I wanna do. I—"

“I know kid.”

I’m taken aback by Sans’s gentle tone. The blue magic cast on my hands and body disappears.

“You’re only nineteen. Like Mettaton said. Not really an adult in human years. And hell: not even a teenager, on monster standards. Ya hadn’t even started college.

“I get it.”

He pauses before continuing. “That’s why Gaster told ya to do what ya didn’t do on the surface.

“So ya could… go out happy.”

I don’t reply. Only now does Gaster’s choice of words make sense.

Happiness and pride washes over me from Sans’s soul… and from Chara’s.

“You’ll know what to say.

“I’m sure of it.

“I haven’t felt so sure ‘bout anythin’ in a long time.”

He lets go of my hands and leans away from me and back in his seat. “Welp: we’ve been sittin’ here for a while. And we better get on to our order. "What ya want?”

“Uh… what do they have?”

“I thought ya might ask that. So I asked ‘em to make some things. In fact, the first course should be headin’ over here… right… about… now…”

The meal lasts for two hours, when within my thoughts, it lasts for only two minutes. It’s only a matter of time before Sans pays for our food and stands from his seat. “I’ll shortcut us home.

“But first: dessert.”

Chara reaches out using my hands. He places a cold glass between them. “It’s iced hot chocolate. With echo flower extract—“

“But it’s hella expensive—“

“I know.

“I got Grillbs to make this.

“That, and Alphys mixed some… sleeping pills… into it. Cause… ya need ‘em.”

I nervously laugh. ‘Yeah…””

“Before ya drink it, I have somethin’ to tell ya.

When ya wake up tomorrow, pack your stuff in the Dimensional Box inside Mjolnir as soon as ya can.

“When ya wake up tomorrow, go to New Home.”

“But where?”

“You’ll know.

“When ya leave, pack only the Third Seven Souls, both sets; your eight healin’ items, your spare change of clothes, and Mjolnir. Nothin else—“

“But my phone!“

“Ya won’t be needin’ ‘em where you’re goin’.”

Soberly, he notes, “And besides: your family and friends need some keepsakes.”

I can’t argue with that.

“And one last thing. For real this time.

“When ya leave the Lab, don’t come lookin’ for us.”

Sans adjusts the glass in my outstretched hands, positioning it so it’s a half-foot above the tabletop. “May the thought of ya freein’ monsterkind fill ya with determination.”

We clink our glasses together in a toast.

As heavy as the glass is, I finish the contents in only a few gulps. Sans shortcuts us back to the Lab soon after.

Just like the night before I helped bring Gaster back, the sleeping pills act inordinately quickly.

They act so quickly that I barely manage to keep my eyes open as Sans waits for me to change in to the last pair of pajamas I’ll ever use.

I’m practically already asleep when he kneels down next to my bed and embraces me. “Night Pauline.” He quietly says in my ear.

I’m too sleepy to notice that I reply in a voice that’s not my own.

["Night Sans."]

“Night kid.

“See ya soon.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the link to the cover of "It's Raining Somewhere else" from where else? It's from Fallen: An Undertale Tribute, compiled by the Materia Collective.
> 
> https://materiacollective.bandcamp.com/track/its-raining-somewhere-else
> 
> I don't know what to say.
> 
> I've gone over what I wanted to write in this chapter for months because I wanted it to be realistic, or at least, more fleshed-out than usual. I realized that in every Undertale fanfic I've read, no one has explored the implications of Frisk walking to what they believe is their imminent death! Someone who is a child or preteen walking to their imminent death, no less!
> 
> Considering the tone of this story, it was only fair I discuss it.
> 
> I'll say it here, and I'll say it in the summary of that chapter.
> 
> Use the music annotations for the chapters which follow. The chapters to come are the ones I've thought through the most, and they have the headcanons that are both the most detailed and the headcanons I'm most proud of. These headcanons are the ones that set Visiontale apart from every other Undertale fanfic.
> 
> I'm sure of it.
> 
> It also helps that when I look for music, I spend most of that time looking for music for these chapters. The songs I've chosen for the following chapters are by far my most well thought-out choices, so please: use the music annotations.
> 
> I'll even post... something special... on Soundcloud for the occasion.
> 
> You all know what's gonna happen next chapter. It should be obvious by now.
> 
> Next chapter, the citizens under the Dreemurrite government will tell me the Undertale.


	40. Chapter 40

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We're finally here.
> 
> As of the first posting of this chapter, after over ten months of writing, contemplating headcanons, feeling frustrated looking for the perfect Undertale cover, and just over 175,000 words, I finally reached New Home.
> 
> If there's one music annotation I'd beg for you to use, it'd be the one in asterisks in this chapter.
> 
> If you want to red about my thought processes for the reading of the Visiontale, choosing the music for that scene, and more, read the endnotes.

40

… … … [Wake up.]

“Hmm?”

“Wake up.”

I grunt, noticing that someone’s tugging on my sleeve under the blanket.

Chara pulls the blanket off of me. “I noticed you were awake. So I… I got the stuff ready. Uh… I found the stuff and put it away. Everyone left us stuff in here last night”

I sit up, the bed’s weight sagging on the left side as Chara sits next to me. “Toriel left a piece of Butterscotch Cinnamon Pie on the table. And Alphys left a pack of that edible raymon. And there were four Legendary Heroes, two shaped like the Masamune, two shaped like the Monado—“

“Eh!”

“And two Sea Teas from Gerson, I think.”

Chara laughs. “Not like you’ll need them Speed! Buffs your speed enough.”

“Awww you did the accent!” I notice immediately.

“Dude I’ve heard you say the Monado Arts like that for all of Determination so like…”

“I guess.”

“I… also packed a few thermoses of ice water. And not-healing-item food. And your change of clothes. And put the clothes you’re gonna use now on the table so you… wouldn’t have to get them now.”

I silently acknowledge Chara’s preparations.

“Thanks.”

“I also CAD&CADed a copy of your MP3 player and copied your music on it—“

“How’d you do that?”

“With a public use machine upstairs. No one’ll care.”

“Ehh…”

I slide off the foot of the bed, smooth my blankets, and walk toward the door and my desk, finding my folded change of clothes on the corner. Tucking them under my arm, Chara and I walk toward the bathroom. “Hey…”

Chara… seems nervous. More than me.

“Yeah?”

“Can I… take a shower after you?”

“Sure.”

“I think… it’d be best.”

After forty-five minutes of Chara and I going through our daily routine, including Chara struggling to find a spare toothbrush, I strap on my shoes and pick my cane off the desk. Tucking it under my arm, I make sure my phone, laptop, and BrailleNote are still plugged in and fully charged. “Okay I thought you forgot what Sans—“

“How could I?”

“I guess.”

Turning to face the wall to the right of the door, I walk forward a couple steps, my fingers trailing Mjolnir’s surface for only a second before I pass through its rear plating. [The elevators to New Home’re close to the CORE. I’ll help you.”

“Okay.”

Though I have tread this path dozens of times by now, I slowly and carefully walk out of the Lab, each step taking me closer to… to Asgore. As I’m about to walk out the door, Chara asks, [Hey isn’t the livestream supposed to start now?]

“I don’t know. Maybe.”

[Just thinking…]

Listen to the whole video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fkq8vwBV8Zc

Chara and I are especially careful as we travel through Hotland to reach the CORE. We have walked this route a couple times per week ever since Kindness, but we count conveyor belts and listen for the audio cues signaling the belts’ movement anyway, knowing that if we lose our way now, it would only delay the inevitable. Besides: this is the last time I’ll ever walk these conveyor belts. I have to appreciate their design, and the way of life they promote, while I still can.

When we reach the CORE, we stop for a couple minutes by the elevator leading down to it. “I can’t believe it’s been four months since I came here…”

[Yeah… Gaster was soooo happy. Everyone in the Inertia Society was. It was Giftmas with no riots--]

“True.” I have to comment.

[You think your friends got the soulology stuff--]

“Oh heeeeeell noooo!”

Chara laughs. [They didn’t have Gaster so… yeah. And they never saw it. Heard it. Felt it.

[You feel it don’t you? The CORE?]

I don’t even have to answer. Even through the light blue and green magic-induced material of Mjolnir, the CORE’s currents of yellow magic flow through my body and soul. [The elevator to New Home’s three belts from here: straight, straight, left.]

“Okay.”

After pausing for a couple more moments next to the CORE’s elevator, we continue walking.

Despite Chara telling me that the walk from the CORE to the New Home elevator is supposed to take fifteen minutes, it feels more like two. [There’s a bathroom right next to us. Wanna go before we take the elevator. It takes like… forever… for the elevator to go up…]

“Sure.”

After five minutes of preparation, I finally press the button to summon the elevator, only for the doors to ding open immediately. [Hmm. Guess no one used it in a while… anyway get in. There’s no floor buttons but—oh! It’s in braille!]

As the elevator doors close, Chara takes control of my body until I turn around to face the doors. I walk to the right, my hands trailing the metal wall next to the door. “It’s braille…” I run my fingers over the plastic sign attached to the wall. On the top is an arrow-shaped button pointing upward… and below it, are the words “New Home,” in braille and large print. I press the button, and the elevator slowly begins to ascend. [Sit down we’ll be here a while.]

I walk to the rear of the elevator, exiting Mjolnir. I sit beside it, hands clasped. [They didn’t need to braille that. There’s only one place to go. I mean there’s emergency buttons but still…]

{But they did it so… that counts.}

Chara muses, [It must be new. The braille’s all crispy. And the plaque’s still shiny. That’s not the weird thing though…

[Notice how quiet Hotland was? And the Lab?]

{I mean Sans said everyone’d be busy--}

[No like I didn’t see anyone in the Lab when we left. No lights under the doors. No machines running. Nothing.]

Slowly, Chara considers, [It’s like everyone left.]

{I guess.}

[And I didn’t see anyone outside in Hotland either…]

{No one?}

[Literally no one. It was just us. You must’ve felt it: there weren’t any souls aroundd us.]

{I guess… I don’t know. Maybe.}

[It’s so weird how the car was already on the bottom. There’s like lots of elevators going to New Home. Maybe they closed off that one…]

{Yeah that is weird…}

[I mean it’s the one closest to the CORE and all the routes we’ve taken before so… hmm.

[The elevator’ll stop soon. The door’s behind you--]

{Heh?}

[The elevator has two doors. Get up and face the wall behind you.]

I equip Mjolnir again and do as Chara says, the elevator gradually slowing and coming to a stop. The second set of doors dings open in front of me. I unfold my cane and step outside.

I notice the breeze immediately. “It’s not hot—“

[Like Hotland’s hot ‘cause of the CORE screwing with the environment. New Home’s… like California, I guess. You still need shorts though.]

I begin trailing the wall next to the elevator. [Yeah yeah turn left at the end of the wall. When you do walk out a couple feet and walk straight. We’re on the side of the street and there’s no sidewalks so…]

{Heh?}

[Like there’s no cars so there’s no sidewalks--]

{Oh…

{Where we going?}

[Just walk straight. You’ll know when to stop.]

{For how long?}

Chara repeats, [You’ll know. Trust me. I know you haven’t been here yet but seriously you’ll know. You can’t miss it.]

{How long’ll it take?}

Chara verbally shrugs. [I don’t know but it’ll be a while. Maybe an hour--]

I groan. [Probably more. Stop after a half hour?]

“Stop after a half hour.”

… … … [Wow you walk fast--]

{I mean I had to if I didn’t I’d be late for class--}

[Yeah true. I think we can get there in half an hour if you keep this up. Stop for water?]

I walk to one side of the street, finding a short wall. I sit on it, marveling at how I can feel its composite concrete and magic surface under me, despite wearing Mjolnir. To access the Dimensional Box, I press a hand to the interior of the panel of metal covering my chest, a cold thermos appearing between my fingers. I take a couple sips, observing how my HP is still at 99/99. [So no food?]

{Nah.}

[Now that I think about it I think we’ll get there in an hour.]

“{I mean we’re not in a hurry.}”

[True. You’re at full health sooooo… wanna go?]

“{Sure.}”

I stand, unfolding my cane and sending the water bottle back to the Dimensional Box. I continue walking.

At our second stop, I ask, {Where’d everyone go?}

[I don’t know… it’s like, weird no one’s here… New Home’s small but still…

[Maybe we’ll see everyone…]

{See everyone what?}

[When we get there--]

{Get where?}

[I’ll tell you when we get there.]

{Okay…?}

Chara’s estimation for how long it takes us to reach… wherever we’re going… ends up being a couple minutes too short. As they say [Almost there], the smooth pavement under my feet changes to… to cobblestone… or something like it. My cane grates against the floor, almost too loud for me to hear… voices.

I hear voices ahead.

After a couple hours of silence, I finally hear monsters’ voices again.

I continue to walk straight, shadows passing by me as I walk forward, and I sense walls on either side. [You entered the archway.]

{What archway?}

[Where we’re going, it’s in a courtyard. Go straight till you find a door. Oh and when you do, get out of Mjolnir and take off your shoes]

{Why?}

Chara doesn’t answer.

It only takes a minute for me to find the door. Transfering my cane to my left hand, I open it and step inside.

The monsters’ whispers intensify as I walk inside. Stepping to one side, I step out of Mjolnir and remove my shoes, as Chara requested. As I place them at the foot of my armor, a monster… walks… up to me. “It’s been a long time since I last saw you… i’m glad you could make it ribbit.”

I gasp softly. “Waaaaaait… it’s you!”

A gurgly laugh. “Reed and Wrighte interviewed me quite a bit over the past month about you ribbit. Because I was the first civilian to meet you. So my first impressions were important ribbit. Everyone wanted me to welcome you here. I was the first monster you met, besides Toriel ribbit.”

A… sticky… and earthy… surface brushes my hands clasped in front of me. “You know, after all this time I never did tell you my name. Even though I know you’d never confuse me for some other frog ribbit.”

“[True.]”

He introduces, “I am Glen—and yes: I am named after ChronoTrigger’s Glen ribbit. I do not know whether I am nearly as honorable as him, but I will try my best.”

I shake Glen’s hand—flipper—whatever limb he offers me to shake… not even weirded out by him being a walking ChronoTrigger reference. When we finish, he sets a slip of… thick paper… in my hand. “Your Inertia Society friends left this for you. The version posted downstairs on the wall is in print ribbit.”

I orient the paper so it is upside down and press it against the front of my shirt. Using my palms and wrists to hold it in place, I read aloud.

“Howdy. I’m in the garden. If you have anything you need to get off your chest, please don’t hesitate to come. The keys are in the kitchen and the hallway.”

“Do you need me to help you—“ Glen begins to ask, but I reply before he can finish.

[“This place’s like Toriel’s house I got it.”]

“If you say so. Pick up the keys and then wait for me.”

I fold up my cane and place it in Mjolnir’s Dimensional Box… protesting the entire time within my thoughts. {Wait wait wait!}

[What you know this place!]

{This place’s like Toriel’s house?}

[Yeah so you know where the keys are.]

{But it’s been forever!}

[How could you forget?]

I walk straight for a distance, eventually hearing the noise around me bounce off the walls of the stairwell. I turn left and walk toward the kitchen. As I enter it, my left hand lifts from my side, my fingers only brushing the countertop for an instant before they grip the first key.

Turning around, I walk out of the kitchen and orient myself so the stairwell is on my left. Walking straight, I eventually sense the walls of the hallway on either side of me. After a couple feet, I stop and turn my body to the left slightly under Chara’s influence. My right hand reaches out, my fingertips just barely touching a table before they close around the second key. [Glen’s hopping over here.]

{I hear him…}

“Follow me to your seat ribbit. the Froggit says from behind me.

I turn around and walk close behind him in a… slow stride… that’s not my own. When Glen tells me to stop, I turn so my back is to the front door and sit down, instead of sitting with my back to the hallway, for some reason. He squelches down beside me, laying a webbed appendage on my left hand. “Are you ready ribbit?”

“Ready for what?”

“We’ve been preparing for your arrival ever since before dawn, on the surface where we are. We’ve gotten up before dawn every day this month—“

“Holy shit—“

He chuckles at my surprise. “The Inertia Society, and every monster we came across, would not settle for anything less ribbit. Today is a very important day for us, forty-nine of Determination. Actually, today and yesterday are very important to us ribbit.”

I am about to ask why, when Frog shushes me. “They’re starting.”

I am about to ask what’s going on, but my mouth won’t open. My body goes still, and the whispering that’s happened ever since I came here finally quiets down, until only a… solemn… silence remains.

After a few moments, I hear a sound in front of me that I have only heard during band and choir concerts in middle and high school. Even then, I have never heard them so close.

The plucking of violin strings.

After a few moments of plucking, the violins, and several other instruments, begin to play a slow melody… the monsters around me chanting along with the music.

**Listen to this reading.**

https://soundcloud.com/user815390209/the-visiontale-dramatic-reading

“A long time ago, a human fell into the Ruins.

“Injured by its fall, the human called out for help.

“Asriel, the king's son, heard the human's call.

“He gathered a vanguard of monsters to accompany him back to the castle.

“Upon their departure, Asriel asked for the human’s name.

“The human answered.

“’Chara.

“’My name is Chara.’”

I gasp. “{What? No…}”

“Over time, Asriel and Chara became like siblings.

“The King and Queen treated the human child as their own.

“and the Royal Scientist, Dr. Wingdings Tesla Gaster, reeled at the chance to show off monsterkind’s greatest accomplishments.

“Our values.

“Our reasoning.

“Our mastery of the world around us.”

“{By Tesla…}”

“At last, he and the Inertia Society put the Unified Theory Papers to good use.”

“{You were…}”

“It was hoped that with time, Chara could help monsterkind break the Barrier.

“It was hoped that with time, Chara could become a proper member of the royal family.

“It was hoped that with time, Chara could become a proper member of our society.

“The Underground was full of hope.

“Then, One day, Chara became very ill.”

“{No…}”

“They had only one request.

“To see the flowers planted in their best friend’s garden.

“But there was nothing we could do.”

“{No…}” I repeat more frantically.

“The next day…

“The next day…

“The human died.”

“{Huh?}”

“Wracked with grief, Asriel absorbed the human's SOUL.

“He transformed into a being of incredible power.

“Asriel crossed the barrier and found the garden Chara spoke of.

“There, he found a bed of golden flowers.

“He carried Chara onto them.

“Suddenly, screams rang out.”

“{No no no no no please no…]”

“A group of humans saw Asriel holding the human's body.”

My breath catches.

“They thought he had killed Chara.

I scream “{Noooo!}”

“The humans attacked him with everything they had.

“He was struck with blow after blow.”

I cringe.

“Asriel had the power to destroy them all.

“But he did not fight back.

“{Huh?}”

“Clutching Chara, Asriel smiled, and walked away.

“Wounded, Asriel stumbled home.

“He entered the castle and collapsed.

“His dust spread across the garden.”

I have no words.

“The kingdom fell into despair.

“The humans had once again taken everything from us.”

“{It all makes sense.}”

“The king and queen had lost two children in one night.”

I exhale sharply. The enormity of their statement hits me.

I begin to sob. The monsters around me chant louder.

“So the king decided it was time to end our suffering!

“‘Every human who falls down here must die.

“‘With enough souls, we can shatter the Barrier forever.

“‘Their conduct shows that in this world, it’s kill or be killed!’

“It's not long now.

“KING ASGORE WILL LET US GO!

“KING ASGORE WILL GIVE US HOPE!

“KING ASGORE WILL SAVE US ALL!”

It all makes sense.

Everything everyone’s told me about Asgore.

Killing me being considered an act of mercy.

It all makes sense.

I can’t help but agree with the monsters.

“You should be smiling too.

“Aren't you excited?

“Aren't you happy?

“You're going to be free.”

… … … I don’t remember walking away from the… vigil… in tears.

I don’t remember entering Chara’s room… Chara’s and Asriel’s room.

I don’t remember collapsing on the nearest bed and sobbing for several minutes.

I don’t remember lying on the covers and falling asleep, even though I only woke up a couple hours ago.

All I remember is waking up on my stomach, someone’s… Chara’s… arm, draped across my upper back. I turn onto my side, knees drawn up. “Paps did it.

“He learned to play the violin after all.”

“Heh?”

“During the vigil Paps was playing the violin.

“We’re in me and Azzie’s room.”

“What?” I mumble.

The memories of the vigil come crashing back. I gasp. “No no no no no…”

“I’m here. It’s okay—“

“But you’re dead!” I cry. “How are you—“

“You know why.”

“But—“

Chara grabs me by the shoulders, pushing me into a sitting position so we sit across from each other. “You know why.” They repeat. “It’s what I told you, when we first met.”

“’Cause I…” I hiccup.

“Because what?”

I take a shaky breath.

“Because,” Chara leans closer to me, “you are filled with…?”

“Determination.” My voice cracks as I finish the phrase.

Chara releases their grip on my shoulders. “Mm-hmm.

“’It’s ‘cause I’m filled with determination.

“It’s ‘cause when I died, I did the same thing as Gaster. Kinda.

“I entered the Void. Just… not as much as him.

“Toriel—mom—carried my body back to the Ruins from here. And I guess my soul was scattered across the Underground, like Gaster.”

I sit silently for a moment. “Toriel’s your mom?”

“Yeah.”

“And Asgore’s your dad?”

“Yeah.”

“So you’re helping me kill him.” I hate to say aloud.

Chara doesn’t respond.

“And you knew Gaster.”

Chara is quick to correct me. “He told me some stuff. He planned to tell me all of it but…

“Mom wanted me to have fun. To be a kid. To make friends. She said my translational education could wait.”

“But you knew him right?”

“Yeah. I… I met him a month after I fell down.

Chara laughs. “He was soooo excited. He kept asking me stuff. How old I was. Where I went to school. What my… my real parents… were like. What I was learning in school when I… when I fell…

“And he was taking notes the whole time! For Dewey, I guess. We like, talked for an hour before mom stopped him and got him food. ‘Cause he couldn’t stop talking. And flicking his paper and pen with his magic.

“And he jumped out of his seat when I asked about it! I think he was offended mom hadn’t taught me magic stuff yet.”

“Yeaaaah… sounds about right…”

“He stayed the whole day. He showed me how his magic worked. And he got Azzie to cast some on some books, to make them float. And some orange magic on some more books, to set them on fire—“

“Okay…”

“And some green magic on me. He wanted to take me to Hotland but dad thought he was tiring me out.”

“Yeah… I can see that…”

“He came to our house again the next day and took us to Hotland.

“Meaning he used his magic to carry us down there.”

“Ehh… I can see that…”

“And then we met Sans and Papyrus! And like… they were soooo cooool! And Alphys and Dewey and Murry they were so smart. And Dewey said he figured out what school stuff I missed so he said he’d help me and Azzie. Him and Gaster would.

“We went to Hotland every day and Sans and his friends hung out with us.”

“Chara?”

I don’t want to ask this question but… if I don’t ask it, I won’t know otherwise. “What was it like in the Void?”

“You mean what is it like in the Void.”

“Yeaaaah…?”

“I’m still there. Kinda.

“My body didn’t fall apart like Gaster. And I don’t think my soul fell apart and got everywhere like his. I didn’t see much. Not till Simon fell down.

“But I couldn’t talk to him. Not really. I could say one or two words but that’s it.

“I don’t think he heard me most of the time.

“With Tailor it was a little better. I could control her body, so she could fight with a broken hand. Until Doggo killed her.

“The others were similar. I could control Adam and Kari the most. Actually I…

“I helped Kari through the CORE.”

I don’t respond.

“The thing was was that I hadn’t gone there yet. Gaster hadn’t told me a lot of soulology or magitry stuff when I died. But I… I had to help her still.”

“What could you see? You said it wasn’t like Gaster right?”

“Not really. I could… I saw what Kari saw, and then what I saw when I was alive, and what the first five humans saw when they fell. Seven fields of knowing in one. But not everything in every timeline.

“You know how Gaster eventually only looked at timelines like this one?”

“Yeaaaah?”

“Like--I saw other timelines different from this one.”

Confidentially, Chara near-whispers, “They wer weeeeeird.

“Like in one of them Sans and Paps have opposite personalities—“

“Heh?”

“They swap personalities—“

“So Sans’s like Paps and Paps’s like Sans—“

“Uh-huh—“

I shudder. “Ugh…”

“Yeah… it’s weird.

“And in another everyone’s like, edgy and stuff—“

“Edgy and stuff?”

“Yeah like… they’re…”

Chara snaps their fingers. “I know! Everyone made Cards Against Humanity jokes all the time and talked like Robin all the time—“

I cringe harder. “Ugh by Tesla…”

“But they do that here!” Chara insists. “I mean Grillby probably does it the most—“

“I know but still!”

“And there’s another one, where Sans’s king of the Underground—“

“What?”

“Yeah and like Paps’s in the Ruins. And… and mom’s captain of the Royal Guard and…

“And me and Azzie are still alive…”

“Oh…

“But what about Simon and Tailor?”

“Lots of different humans fell underground. With different traits and stuff. In one David’s a girl—“

“Heh!?”

“No no like he’s a human with green magic but a different name and a girl—“

“Well you could’ve said that!”

“And there’s another one where Kari’s name’s Clover and she has a gun with rubber bullets inside and not airsoft thingies—“

“Huh…”

“Yeah!”

Until now, Chara’s been talking as fast as Gaster when he’s excited… without taking a breath and all. “But that’s not the point.”

“The point is is that… I saw something weird in the Void.

“In a few timelines, the seventh—eighth—the human who had the seventh soul inside them--was the same.

“They’d fall into the Ruins where you fell. They’d watch Flowey get wrecked by mom--”

“LOL.”

“And they’d meet Sans and Paps—“

“Eh!”

“They’d do what you did.

“And every time I could talk to them. And I could control them.

“They could save and load like you.”

“Whoa…”

“Yeah. Sometimes Frisk’d make friends with everyone and help monsterkind go free.

“Sometimes if they were afraid they’d kill monsters who attacked them.

“And sometimes they… killed everyone they saw.

“But it was so weird for me ‘cause…

“’Cause…

“’Cause in the timeline I came from Frisk never fell down.

“Frisk never even knew the Underground existed. I… I think they still don’t.

“In the timeline I came from, I knew Frisk.

“You know those golden flowers?”

“Mm-hmm.”

“I wanted to see Frisk’s garden.

“Asriel took me to Frisk’s house. He was gonna put my body on their flowers.

“And I know now… I think my determination made it so the Barrier was under their house that day.

“Until the day I fell Frisk was my best friend.”

Chara takes a few deep breaths. If it weren’t for the fact that they were sitting in front of me, I’d make some comment about them following Gaster’s example for telling long stories, but they already know.

“I’ll keep it simple, I guess.

“I hated my classmates. I got into fights a lot at school. I hated talking to them ‘cause they were soooo sttupid. I’d say something and they wouldn’t get any of it.

“They called me a teacher’s pet. a know-it-all. They said ‘You’re a girl you can’t play football.’ ‘Why do you get to go to any bathroom you want you’re a girl—‘”

“Heh?”

Chara seems… prepared… for my confusion. “Okay you know how you knew mom was a girl and Sans was a guy by their voices?”

“Yeah…?”

“You can’t do that with me. It’s like in eighth grade that kid from the flute section you didn’t know was a guy or a girl—“

“I think they’re a girl…”

“You think—“ Chara emphasizes. “But you wouldn’t know unless you asked.

“Well… what do you think I am?”

“Uh… whyyy?”

“It’s important.”

“Well uh… those kids said you were a girl—“

“I’m not.”

“Then…” I begin to answer.

“There’s an easier way to do this. It’s probably not that good but I guess it’ll work.

“I’m a guy ‘cause I don’t talk about my feelings.

“I’m a girl ‘cause when I’m sad I cry a lot.

“I’m a guy ‘cause I love video games. My parents took me to the arcade to play Mortal Kombat!”

“Heh?”

“They said it’d be better if I beat up a video game character than a person—“

“I mean…” I’m not sure what to think of Chara’s parents’ logic, “I guess… Maybe…??”

“I’m a girl ‘cause I love cute things.

“I’m a guy ‘cause I think Lucca being good at science’s cool and I want a picture of her on my wall.

“And I’m a girl ‘cause I really want shirtless Shulk on my wall.”

“Awwww…”

“Dude you’re fangirling over him and you can’t even see him!”

“True…”

“Anyway…

Loop until the end of the chapter.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ELotSTXJZxw

“Point is is that Frisk came to my school. Their parents told me they did it so Frisk’d have a friend like them.

“They didn’t talk much. They could but they didn’t really.

“My teachers said they couldn’t keep their hands to themselves. So everyone made fun of them for it. Frisk isn’t their real name.”

“What is their name then?”

“I don’t know. They… called themselves Frisk so… ehh…

“I liked them. When they talked they thought about what to say. They didn’t just say whatever they wanted. They didn’t say anything stupid.

“Their parents met my parents and Frisk’s parents became friends with my parents. By the twenty-fifth day of Integrity when I turned ten Frisk’s parents got me a bike--”

“Duuude…”

“It was so I could go to Frisk’s house faster. And the arcade. And Frisk had one so… yeah.

“And on the third day of Kindness on Frisk’s birthday my parents and me got them a Gameboy and Tetris.”

“Duuuude!”

“Yeah! We’d play it every day. We tried making Tetris in real life. Which… didn’t work.”

Chara’s voice suddenly turns hard. “But Frisk didn’t even have their Gameboy a week when some kids saw them playing it. And they wouldn’t leave them alone.

“Frisk even asked them to go away a lot. But they didn’t listen.

“They hurt Frisk and smashed their Gameboy.”

I cringe, recalling the sound of my cane snapping back in Hotland. “Oh…”

“So I stopped them.”

Chara laughs harshly. “At the end of it one kid had a tooth knocked out. A second had a black eye. And a third had a broken nose.”

“Whoa…”

“I got suspended--”

“I mean duh—“

“Yeah yeah.

“But the thing was was that the first day I was gone, I heard… I heard stuff from my parents

“They said Frisk’s parents said Frisk wouldn’t do work. They didn’t leave their seat. They didn’t talk. Not one word.

“When my teachers asked they wrote they missed me on a piece of paper.

“Even after the grown-ups explained how I hurt all those kids so I couldn’t come to school they said… they didn’t wanna be at school.

“‘Cause I wasn’t there.

“Our music and English teacher and our science and math teacher talked to the principle. So Frisk and I did our work at home. They’d come in the morning to give us our work and after school they’d come and check on us.

“I heard the therapist at school say that it was weird to do stuff like this. That I might hurt someone else… that I might hurt Frisk. That Frisk couldn’t hang out with kids like me.

“But… but Frisk was scared. They said if they asked all those kids to go away that much and they didn’t listen what could a grown-up do? And they even surrounded Frisk so they couldn’t get help from a grown-up.

“I was the only kid they talked to. Frisk was the only kid I liked talking to. And that was the only fight I got into while I knew them.

“So the grown-ups eventually realized it was good we were together.

“So our teachers and parents said it’d be best if we recovered from what happened together. So we were gonna be homeschooled for the rest of the school year. Mr. Akoan and Mr. Gyver helped our parents homeschool us.

“They were like Gaster and Dewey. They didn’t think we were stupid just ‘cause we were kids. They talked about video games with us.”

Chara laughs… and for once, they actually sound ten. “Mr. Akoan talked about the stories in video games with us, all the games on my NES. Zelda 2: Adventure of Link. Kid Icarus. MegaMan! We complained about them not having voices like in Mortal Kombat! And he said that’s ‘cause we’re the main characters when we play.”

I contemplate this observation for a moment. “Yeah I get that but I liked Xenoblade ‘cause Shulk talked. So I wouldn’t have to have someone read the dialogue all the time…” 

“And Mr. Gyver taught us math for older kids. Like… like high school math—“

“Whaaat!?”

“Yeah! We spent like two weeks staring at triangles. The only good thing that came out of it was I could find out everything about a triangle as long as I knew two sides and one angle—“

I flinch. “Ugh…”

“I know you’re having eleventh grade flashbacks but seriously he got me to like math. Or at least he got me to realize how useful it is. How puzzles and levels are just math and logic problems you jump on or run through. Or getting stuff for random characters—“

“Yeah I guess that’s true I never thought of that.”

“The point is that we talked about games with them. Mr. Akoan tried to teach me to play piano so I could play the Mortal Kombat! Theme on it—“

“Duuuuude!”

“Yeah like I’d use Frisk’s piano. And one time when I learned to play the Tetris theme after listening to Frisk play Tetris for a few hours Mr. Gyver said I was dedicated for doing it. That’s something I could tell people. That made me interesting. That I ‘was a real character.’

“Then Frisk said it wrong and only said ‘Chara’. But they said it like the beginning of ‘character’.

“Then we said that was lame so we said “chara” like how I say it ‘cause it sounds like a Street Fighter character…”

“So Chara’s not your name?”

“No. I… don’t like my real name.”

Chara pauses before continuing. “So in March I saw the issues of Nintendo Power at the store and saw ChronoTrigger was coming out! So me and Frisk saved money. We did all the chores and sold our old stuff. I even sold my NES and every game on it. But not before I let Frisk have it and play all my games. We lived close enough to a game store I could walk there. I walked there so the SNES wouldn’t get damaged.

“We got all our work for the week done before the game came out and our parents and Mr. Akoan and Mr. Gyver said we could spend the rest of the week and the weekend playing it. I got up really early to buy everything.

“I packed lots of stuff for a sleepover. My clothes and candy and all my money. Then I bought all the stuff and started walking to Frisk’s house.

“But…”

Chara’s breath catches. “I crossed through the Barrier and fell into the Ruins before I got there. I wasn’t even that far away! Just a few blocks!”

“What?” I softly repeat.

“Yeah. I… I think…

“I think it was ‘cause I wanted to play ChronoTrigger. ‘Cause I wanted to go somewhere else for a while with Frisk.

“’Cause we wanted to escape.

“But only I did.”

“So that Super Nintendo’s yours…” I realize.

“Yeah. Sans repaired it with CAD&CAD stuff. And he and Paps and Alphys played it a lot. I know Sans and Azzie got every ChronoTrigger ending. And I think Paps got almost all of them. And Alphys loved the character designs. She loved Lucca.

“And Sans thought the time travel stuff was really cool. ‘Cause like, the writers thought through some of the time travel stuff. How changing stuff affects other stuff.

“And ChronoTrigger was Sans’s and Paps’s and Alphys’s and Azzie’s first video game—“

“Duuuude!”

“Yeah! And Sans’s second was Super Mario World. Me and him were the only ones who were any good—maaaaan Azzie suuuuucked!

“Actually Gaster did his experiment in the CORE on the anniversary of ChronoTrigger coming out ‘cause he thought that might mean something. ‘Cause he said how the Underground moved around weird right before I came. So he thought me being there’d make a difference.”

Chara has no need to explain further.

“And that was only a month… almost two months… before I died.”

With resentment too intense for someone their age, Chara says, “I hated that the monsters were stuck down here when Frisk’s bullies and worse humans were on the surface.

“So I did something about it.

“I gave Azzie my soul so—“

“What!?”

“Yeah.”

Chara… answers too quickly. “I don’t wanna talk about it. Not now. Maybe some other time. Once we… once we know what dad’s gonna do with the Third Seven Souls”

“I guess…

“So you never played Pokemon—“

“I don’t think Pokémon existed yet …”

“But you played Street Fighter and stuff—“

“That’s why I think it’s soooo cool that Ryu’s in Smash. Frisk loved Ryu. I tried finding them a headband like his but—“

Chara stops themselves. “Sorry I’m rambling like mom—“

“Ehh it’s all good. I mean it’s only fair.”

“Yeah I guess.”

They pause a little before pointing out, “Like, we’ve been here a while.

“I think… I think we should go see d--Asgore now.”

“Okay.”

“Go get the spare change of clothes from Mjolnir. The bathroom’s in the same place as at mom’s house.”

“Okay. You gonna shower?”

“Yeah. And I’m gonna change. And I’m gonna bring some stuff from here with me. There’s a heart-shaped locket from Azzie I wanna wear when we see him. Even… even if he doesn’t see it.

“Dad still washes my clothes. He’s been doing it since… since the end of 180X. He still keeps this room clean. Like how Sans kept my SNES working so long that Adam and Kari could play it…”

The sadness of these factts hits me as I walk out of the room into the now-empty house.

It only takes a few seconds for me to locate Mjolnir by the magical currents emitted by its plating. Brushing its exterior, my spare change of clothes and toiletries appear in my outstretched hands. “Didn’t know it did that…”

[Me neither but I guess it makes sense. You want them and the Box is literally right there so… determination things.]

As I enter the bathroom, Chara asks, [Dude don’t take as long as you did this morning okay? I… I don’t wanna keep dad waiting.]

“Yeah that’s fair.”

Somehow, Chara and I only take half an hour to shower, change, and finalize the contents of Mjolnir’s Dimensional Box. Retrieving the keys from where I left them on Chara’s bed, I leave their room and step into Mjolnir. [Don’t use your cane I got you.]

{Okay.}

A key in each hand, I walk downstairs, stopping when I lightly bump into the massive chain. Unlocking it, it falls to the floor. I step over it and walk forward until I sense a wall in front of me. [It’s exactly like mom’s basement. Huuuuge door and all.]

Shifting to the left slightly, I brace my right arm against the door’s stone surface, gripping the handle tightly. I manage to heave it open… subsequently squinting as light floods the room. “Ah!”

[Dude you can’t see why are you—]

{Dude I can see light!}

[Wait wait wait wait.] Chara seems… to have reached an epiphany. [Oh man that suuuucks all the bad stuff about seeing happens but none of the good stuff…]

We take a moment to laugh… a little too hard… before walking out of the house. “Yeah... basically.”

As I take my first couple steps into the… very bright sunlight, Chara reminds me to induce the Third Seven Souls, stored in their own separate Dimensional Box, with magic.

I press a button just below the left side of the lower lip of the transparent visor over my face. All seven colors of magic flow under my fingers after several seconds. [Does the thought of finally knowing what’ll happen to us fill you with determination?]

{I mean even if it doesn’t I have to save somewhere right?}

[True.]

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the link to my dramatic reading on Soundcloud.
> 
> https://soundcloud.com/user815390209/the-visiontale-dramatic-reading
> 
> The cover of "Undertale" I used is from Fallen: An Undertale Tribute.
> 
> https://materiacollective.bandcamp.com/track/undertale
> 
> I conceived of this particular presentation of the Visiontale between approximately November of 2016 and January 2017, while I was ironing out the details of the Underground's hard and soft sciences. Early on, I realized that in the context of a real culture, the Undertale would be culturally-significant. Think about it: Asriel and Chara would have been as famous as the children of world leaders on the surface, if not more so, due to Chara being a human. Their friendship would have had massive political and cultural significance for everyone. Accordingly, their deaths would have been devastating in many ways. It would have been important in the same way that people remember where they were on September 11, 2001. Since I am the first human to reach New Home, it's only fair they tell me about it, especially since Gaster has spent months teaching me about monster culture. Everything that happened in Asgore's home is one facet of my integration into Dreemurrite culture.
> 
> That, and their death anniversary vigil is my way of processing my complex feelings about grief.
> 
> The summer before I started writing Visiontale, and even until now, I've had several family members and family friends fall ill with life-threatening diseases or fall down. Somehow, I couldn't muster up the emotion to feel sad at those funerals without hearing a sob story first because I didn't know them very well or at all. What's worse is that after taking my first college communication course in fall quarter of 2016, I learned how most of the remarks people usually say at funerals don't help the grieving families at all. Some may even make them feel worse. At these funerals, or while discussing a relative's cancer treatments, they'd say sorry and that everything will be all right, or, if they're at a funeral, they'd say that they're in a better place. These remarks ignore the grieving family's emotions. We have no right to tell them how to feel. As my communication textbook put it, if you can't feel sad when a loved one's died, when can you feel sad?
> 
> Though it may sound callous, I don't say these things to them. I know that they have the right to feel sad, that I could never know their loved one as well as them. If I could, I'd say that if they need emotional support or someone to talk to, I can be that person. However, I'll never say that I'm sorry that their loved one's died, or that they're in heaven now so you shouldn't feel sad.
> 
> Case in point? In July 2015, I was attending Pokemon Symphonic Evolutions, a Pokemon orchestra concert, when I found out Satoru Iwata, the president and CEO of Nintendo, had died. I cried profusely that night. My parents didn't understand why I felt so sad. They kept telling me that they didn't want me to feel sad and to stop crying. Nintendo games have been part of our family as long as I can remember. I know Iwata didn't directly develop them all, but he made them possible, so, I felt like he was part of our family. To me, a loved one had died, and my parents weren't letting me grieve his death.
> 
> Asriel and Chara's death anniversary vigil is how I'd want funerals to be staged. In a place the deceased loved, surrounded by people who genuinely care, with minimal spectacle. The Undertale, and by extension, the Visiontale, is intimate and to the point. I wanted to deal with the grief I've had to witness, the grief I've genuinely felt, and how my family and friends have reacted to my grief, in my own way. I wanted to celebrate the lives of the people I've attended funerals for in a way that matters more than gathering people in a church to hear a priest ramble about the next life.
> 
> That's why I'm happy I found this particular cover of "Undertale." It's emotional and performed by a small group, a group small enough to... fit in someone's living room.
> 
> Now, time to discuss my... complicated experiences... with Frisk and Chara's character interpretations! In short: I was only exposed to the concept of the gender identity spectrum the summer before my freshman year of college, right before Undertale came out, so when the game came out, I had only just learned about it. I'll be blunt. When all you have to identify someone is their voice, the idea that someone's neither male nor female, when they sound like either one... throws me off. The worst part is that I don't want to ask because I might offend them, and even if I don't, I still feel bad. Chara's explanation is oversimplified and stereotyped, but, as they put it, "It's good enough."
> 
> Now, prepare yourselves for spectacle, detailed headcanons, and real feels!


	41. Chapter 41

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just like chapter 29, I had to post this chapter as soon as it was finished, mistakes and all. The headcanons presented here are the ones I've worked on the longest and am the most proud of.
> 
> This chapter is shorter than usual because I had to cut it down so it is easier to voice-act.
> 
> After more than three months of work, here's the link to the first half of the audio drama!
> 
> https://soundcloud.com/user815390209/visiontale-chapter-41-part-1  
>    
> Here's the second half!
> 
> https://soundcloud.com/user815390209/visiontale-chapter-41-part-2
> 
> If you want to have the full experience, use the music annotations. If you want to read about my... tumultuous... process for creating the relevant headcanons, read the endnotes.
> 
> Regardless, enjoy.
> 
> Our Judgment has come.

41

… … … [--never thought about it. Makes sense I guess.]

{Still feel like shit--}

In a voice too gentle for a ten… eleven… I don’t even know anymore… year old, Chara reassures me [It’s fine. You let me explain so… could be worse.]

A few seconds of shoes crunching against pavement. [We’re going somewhere special.

[I think.]

Uncertainty. [In this timeline me and Azzie’d run around the outside. Mom and dad said I’d learn after I got cemented but…]

Another second of walking silently. [That’s why Hotland and New Home were so empty?]

{Heh?}

[There’s lots of monsters--]

{Heh?}

[You don’t hear them?]

I slow my pace and listen, only hearing the slight breeze whistle around us. {No…?}

[No souls--]

{No I--}

[They’re not projecting their souls. That’s—[

Chara abruptly stops. {What now--}

[There’s a path through the crowd. Into the…]

{The what?}

[Let’s find out.]

As we continue walking, the slight breeze blowing past us… changes. It grows louder and echoes off of… off of the walls.

At least, I assume so, because the minute movements of the monsters around us become louder, bouncing off the ceiling, high above our heads. [They left the doors open--]

{Doors?}

[Double doors.] Chara describes as my shoes transition from the gravelly pavement to a… marble floor.

Fascinated by the sound, I continue walking straight. [There’s pillars around us but you’re fine.]

Focusing on the empty space in front of me, my left hand at forehead height, palm down, so I don’t bump into anything, I take a few more steps.

I am about to take another when nearby, a bell begins to chime.

Loop until the next note.

https://soundcloud.com/user815390209/visiontale-soundtrack-for-your-every-action

Tilting my head upward, I realize that the bells are in front of me somewhere, hanging from the ceiling. I’ll walk underneath them soon.

“Hault.”

I freeze.

“Only the Judge may cast magic within the Judgment Hall.”

My foot still in midair, I set it down. [Turn it off!] Chara hurriedly whispers.

{Turn off what?}

[The enabler!]

{But--} I begin to protest, but Chara talks over me. [If a deep authoritative voice says not to cast magic you stop!]

I reach for the button controlling the enabler, pressing it as quicly as possible. When finished, I set my left arm at my side. As I do, the thud of heavy boots slowly approaches us, eventually stopping several feet away. {Who’s--}

[I don’t know!]

{You don’t?}

[I can’t see them—]

{But--}

[I can’t see their soul.]

That’s… new.

[You recognize their voice?]

{No I thought--}

[Well I don’t recognize their—his? voice either. He’s restricting his field of knowing to his body so there’s—

The owner of the voice begins to speak in slow, measured tones.

“So. You finally made it.”

{Shhhh shut up!}

“The end of your journey is at hand.

“In a few moments, you will meet the king.

“Together, you will determine the future of this world.”

They—he? takes a step forward. “You have beheld our accomplishments and rejoiced upon our success.”

The owner of the voice pauses momentarily before continuing, taking another step forward.

“Even so,“

{[Yeah I knew it.]}

“--you must participate in the Judgment.”

{That’s not ominous at all…!}

Chara squeaks [Yep!]

{Story time?}

[I don’t know I cant see him!]

“After a monster cements themselves, their peers determine who knows them most intimately.

“This monster becomes the Cemented’s judge.”

Another pause.

“Their judge measures their maturity, magical and emotional.

“In time, they determine the Cemented’s moral effect on society.”

What can I say?

The… dignity… of this monster’s statements almost hurts. A throbbing ache begins to appear in my chest.

It makes sense.

I listen with wrapped attention as the voice says darkly, “The war militarized the Judgment.

“The strongest monster became the Judge.

“Monsters sought solace in their power: magical, moral, and political.”

He pauses before continuing.

“Monsters of outstanding morality chosen by the Judge fought humankind.”

After another pause, the voice bluntly states: “You must know no one dawned the title.”

A heavy silence falls over everyone. {Should have guessed…]}

“Even in peacetime, the Judge’s power manifests in two aspects.

“First: within the Judgment Hall, the current judge holds absolute power.”

We wait for the second exception.

“Second: the Cemented affirms their place in society via combat with their judge.”

The voice pauses longer this time. {Makes sense except the combat part--}

[So that’s how everyone learned to fight…]]

“Today, I shall quantify the pain you have inflicted via this method.”

Anxiously, Chara and I await the explanation.

The voice enunciats, “Execution Points. Or EXP.“

[Oh…]}

Chara’s voice seems… very small.

“When a human or monster hurts someone, they gain Execution Points.

“When they gain enough Execution Points, their capacity to hurt reaches a new level.”

He pauses. “A new Level of Violence.”

[Remember Flowey’s LOVE?]

{Yeah…}

[This is it…]

Chara… seems nervous.

“Execution Points and Level of Violence quantify the following.”

After each item, he pauses a second, as if checking items off a list.

“When you hurt someone, you distance yourself.

The more you hurt others, the more you distance yourself.

“The more you distance yourself, the less you will hurt.

“Thus, you hurt others more readily.”

I gasp.

{Never thought of it like that…}

Chara doesn’t comment.

I absorb this information silently for a few seconds.

“Now you understand.”

He commands, “Step forward.”

I take a step, then another. Chara helps me so I stand closer to, but still a respectable distance away from, the owner of the voice.

“Kneel before me.”

{What?!}

[If a deep authoritative voice tells you to kneel you kneel!]

I haven’t heard Chara panick this much in a long time.

They don’t have to persuade me.

I obey.

The owner of the voice takes a couple heavy steps toward me, the floor shaking slightly with each one. The air between us begins to hum with power.

“Now.

“You will be judged.

“You will be judged for your every action.

“You will be judged for every Execution Point you have earned.

“And I, Sans Wingdings Gaster, shall be your judge.”

*----------------------*

Chara clamps my mouth shut before I can reply with my usual “Whaaaat!?” They make shocked and scared noises as we kneel on the marble floor, the Judgment Hall completely silent. [Saaaaans?]

{Chara?}

Chara continues talking rapidly, as if I’ve never spoken. ]Why are you dressed like that!?]

They talk faster. [Yeah you’re doing an important thing but still why the robes!?]

{What?}

[And since when were you a foot taller than us even in our armor?]

{What!?}

[He’s not wearing a hoody! He--] Chara emphasizes [always wears—wore----a hoody! Well he’s still wearing a hood but--]

{What the fuck--?}

In a combination of awe and disbelief, Chara quickly whispers, as if they are afraid of being overheard. [They’re almost wrist-length, more than patella-long dark blue robes. Gold around the cuffs—hood--everything--]

{The border--}

[Yeah yeah.] Chara talks over me. [Heeled black boots. And a gold and… what’s the blue Pokémon game again?]

{Blue…?}

[The other blue one!]

{Sapphire?}

[A gold and sapphire eye pendant around his neck.]

{Heh?}

[Trust me it’s an eye--]

{Fancy.

{You said he’s taller than us…?}

[Counting our armor’s height and the two inches it’s always levitated off the floor we’re like five four-five-ish.

[Sans’s shorter than Paps but he’s still a foot taller than us—without those two-inch heels…]

{How--!?}

[I don’t know!

[Well now we know why everyone restricted their fields of knowing--]

{‘Cause he said so.}

[And ‘cause would they wanna piss off Sans now?]

I don’t answer.

[Exactly!

[And now I know how the bells rang themselves--]

{How?}

[Sans did it.]

We sit quietly for a moment to contemplate this feat.

{But why’d he restrict his field of knowing?}

An uncertain noise. [Well he’s stopped doing it now ‘cause the dual blue and yellow eye glow of doooom--]

{Nope!}

[Waaaay ahead of you…]

{Why’s he sound different--}

[If his voice wasn’t deep before…]

They wistle. [Daaaamn!]

We take a moment to admire the change.

Monsters’ voices are manifestations of their soul. The pitch’s their strength and their voice’s loudness’s their emotional state.

[So his soul’s--]

Suddenly, I begin to shake—

No.

Chara’s soul is shaking.

In the Void, they’re experiencing some sensation. I feel it as well, but not as intensely. Nausea, dizziness, and disorientation, all in one. {Chara?}

They don’t answer, continuing to gasp and writhe within our shared soulological space. {CHARA!}

Mid-gasp, they fall silent, their soul finally coming to rest. Exhaustion washes over me, but somehow, my body remains in place, as if…

As if being held down.

Only now do I notice Sans’s blue magic.

It encompasses my soul more… completely… than ever before.

A couple moments after I realize this, the sensation vanishes.

A couple more moments pass before Sans commands: “Rise.”

I oblige, Chara’s presence all but inert.

Sans steps closer. Now, I understand what Chara meant. The magic emanating from his soul seems more concentrated. My body and soul vibrate slightly as I await his… verdict.

It doesn’t take long for him to deliver it.

“Now you understand my father’s unbridled joy.”

“I did the stuff in the Unified Theory Papers ‘cause Chara never did.”

“Correct.”

Less sternly, he remarks, “You carried yourself well. As I expected.”

Chara shifts ever so slightly within the Void.

Sans begins to pace slowly in front of me. “You seemed comfortable in Asgore’s home.”

[“It’s like Toriel’s place.”] I reply… in a voice that’s not my own.

“No one told you so.”

I try to amend for what Chara made me say: “I figured it out.”

“I see.”

Sans stops pacing. Chara relaxes… and for some reason, I do as well.

“Did you know your soul contains a grater amount of determination than Kari?”

“No…?”

[Oh no…]

{Chara?}

With sudden conviction, he says in a low voice, “Now, I know why.”

In the moment it takes me to process what he’s said, Chara thrashes around in the Void anew. [No no no--]

{Chara?}

My body and soul shudder as Sans properly projects his soul. The Judgment Hall reverberates with his words and his magic.

“*show yourself.

“*CHARA DREEMURR!*”

Stop the music.

A soul- and ear-piercing scream.

A sensation analogous to a violent wind blowing past me. Within my mind, I hear a sound like a sheet of paper tearing.

Someone—Chara--thuds onto the floor beside me.

They groan. “Ow my face…”

Clothing rustles on the floor to my right, and a small hand intertwines with mine. “By Tesla… I’m really here…”

I start at hearing Chara’s voice.

Their real voice.

It sounds... exactly the same as how it sounded in the Void, and in my thoughts.

Squeezing my hand, their voice echoes upward as they address Sans. “How’d you—“

“You already know. You used it, after all.”

“I had to. How else could she get to mom’s house? Or Snowdin—“

“Or Hotland? When you nearly killed Jerry?“

Despite themselves, the monsters around us whisper ever so faintly.

Loop until the next note.

https://soundcloud.com/user815390209/visiontale-soundtrack-a-requiem-for-chara

“He took her cane! She can’t—“

“You should have told—“

“He wouldn’t move!”

Sans wastes no time to reply: “She could have called—“

“And then what: he would’ve asked how she can use a phone and then taken the phone!”

“Neither of you showed restraint—“

“How else was I gonna react!?”

Retorting, I half-expect Chara to talk over me, but they do not. “He didn’t give it back when I asked! This isn’t even—“

“Your temper--“

I don’t wait for Sans to finish. “What the fuck was I gonna do ask him nicely? He kept—“

“Rather than leading you to safety on ground level, Chara lent you their… skills.”

Chara and I breathe in sharply in unison.

He’s right.

“Sans I know what you’re gonna say. We did some bad things but—“”

You could have killed him.”

Chara and I talk over each other. “I wasn’t gonna—“

“That’s why I didn’t—“

The all-too-familiar staticy hiss of Gaster blasters fills the air. The Gaster blasters fire, punctuating his words. Somehow, Sans’s voice cuts through the dinn.

*”HOW DARE YOU LIE TO ME!”*

“You intended to kill. Despite—“

I flinch as Chara talks over Sans. “She had no armor. Jerry would’ve hurt her. If I messed up she would’ve fallen to her death. I protected her--”

“As you ‘protected’ Frisk?“

“Frisk couldn’t have run away. They were scared and—“

Sans isn’t even listening to Chara anymore.

“Both of you embrace your selfish tendencies and made demands of us—“

“Asking for that phone charger was that bad?” Chara protests. “I only knew what an iPhone was ‘cause of her.”

“So Chara shouldn’t have controlled me at all?” I ask.

Sans’s answer shocks me.

“No.

“Chara should have controlled you more firmly.”

Sans has barely finished speaking before Chara replies. “That’s wrong! Why would I—“”

“And using Frisk’s bullies’ souls to break the Barrier is not?”

I respond with my usual “What?”

Sans takes another step toward us.

Matter-of-factly: “They did not tell you.”

“No…”

I think about it for a moment. “It’s fair I guess—“ I begin to say.

“Really.”

“You think killing me’s an act of mercy!”

“At least monsters sense the pain we inflict. Chara terrorized Asriel into poisoning them with buttercups and to become their vessil.”

Chara’s words rush out almost incoherently. “Asriel wanted to do something about Frisk—“

“You primed him to commit murder for your sake!”

“For monsterkind’s sake.” Chara corrects. “I thought the most good they could do was die. So you could go free—“

Sans laughs coldly. “You? Worthy of sealing their fate? You Manipulated countless humans—“

“I thought my Frisk came after me—“

“You urged them to kill everyone.”

“Asgore said any human who fell down here must die!“

“You squandered our future.”

Chara tugs on my arm hard. “Let’s get out of here!“

Somehow, Chara begins dragging me across the room. I activate Monado Speed, my strides lengthening.

After a couple seconds of running, Sans’s boots land on the marble floor in front of us.

Mid-stride, we stop.

We completely forgot about his shortcuts…

Chara’s grip tightens on my hand.

He continues as if Chara never spoke. “Even so, you may redeem yourselves.

“For I know even the worst people can change.

“That anyone can be good, if they try.”

The silence suffocates me.

“Pauline?

“You have not tried at all.

“Chara?

“You have not tried hard enough.”

Chara tugs on my hand again, but my feet remain rooted to the floor. “Sans you--”

Though afraid, I must admit: Sans is right.

As warped as his logic is, I understand it. Humans’ determination makes them inherently dangerous.

Sans has judged me--us, so he must deliver his verdict in full.

“I shan’t warn you again, Chara.

“If you take another step forward, you know what will happen next.”

“We have to see Asgore! You can’t--”

Chara’s voice breaks.

“Neither of you will die today.”

Chara sighs with relief. Their arm stops shaking as we continue to grasp hands, the tension in their body fading away.

“You’re not gonna kill us?” they ask in a small voice.

Chara’s, hope, disarms me.

Sans doesn’t answer.

Somehow, Chara grips my hand even tighter. I stand stalk-still, waiting for Sans’s… decision.

After a second of tense silence, I hear the squeaky, wet, echoing sound of a… wine bottle being uncorked…

At least, I think it’s the sound of Sans…? Uncorking a wine bottle.

Chara begins to… to beg.

“Sans don’t do it!”

I can’t help but ask “What?”

“Not the ketchup!“

“What the fuck?”

“You must recognize it by now, Chara.”

Sans’s… amusement… catches me off guard. Completely lost, I try to deduce what Sans and Chara are doing,but neither of them makes a sound.

At least, until chara starts to panic anew. “It can’t be!“

I begin to hear a thick dripping sound.

[It’s determination…]

With a pang, I recall how determination’s a red liquid somewhat thicker than water.

I perform an action I have never done before.

I try loading my save file.

Nothing happens.

I try again, straining to recall vivid details from when I last saved.

Nothing happens.

I reach for the Monado at my side, intending to activate Monado Speed again, hoping that Chara will—

The Monado wrenches from my grasp and clangs against a far-off surface.

A thought echoes in my mind.

[Only someone more determined than you can take the Monado.]

It takes me an eternity to figure out who is most determined now.

When I figure it out,, Chara and I panic, verbally and mentally, as Sans continues to drink the determination. “{[No no no no no!]}”

It takes another second for Sans to down the rest of the solution, the bottle promptly shattering to pieces.

After a second, he takes a deep breath.

Play until the end of the chapter.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z_9JFqe3Ueo

“It’s a beautiful day outside.”

“no…” Chara… begs.

Sans continues as if he hasn’t heard them, his anger rising with every word.

“Birds are singing.”

Chara continues to beg. “Not now!”

“Flowers are blooming.”

“Not this!”

“On days like these,”

“SANS I’M BEGGING YOU!”

“Kids like you,”

I begin shaking… and not just because I’m scared for my life.

Our lives.

A sob begins to escape Chara’s lips.

As loudly as they cry, Sans shouts over them.

*“SHOULD BE BURNING IN HELL!”*

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Part 1 of the audio drama! Yes: Sans’s canon voice changed.
> 
> https://soundcloud.com/user815390209/visiontale-chapter-41-part-1
> 
> Part 2!
> 
> https://soundcloud.com/user815390209/visiontale-chapter-41-part-2
> 
> Making this, especially part 2, was... complicated. Like everything else in Visiontale.
> 
> Again, here's Chara's canon voice! Again: thank Tesla for Undertale: the Narrator's Musical!
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K276nkB293A
> 
> The Megalovania cover I remixed.
> 
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jNYsIHGBJzw
> 
> My remix.
> 
> https://soundcloud.com/user815390209/visiontale-soundtrack-for-your-every-action
> 
> The Megalo Strike Back cover I extended.
> 
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uom8QOQS3l8
> 
> My extension.
> 
> https://soundcloud.com/user815390209/visiontale-soundtrack-a-requiem-for-chara
> 
> The Megalovania remix I linked to at the very end of the chapter.
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z_9JFqe3Ueo
> 
> I’ve found no fanfics where Chara knew characters besides Asriel, so I wanted to explore that. My headcanons for Sans’s and Chara’s relationship have changed drastically over the past several months. Like everything else in Visiontale, they're... complicated...
> 
> My ideas about the Judgment have changed the most, and have been in development, for the longest, out of all my headcanons. I started thinking about the Judgment relatively early on while writing Visiontale, possibly around the same time I conceived of my version of the New Home feelstrip. Essentially, it all started when I asked myself: Sans, why do you judge Frisk… and by Tesla, why are there church bells! When I watched Marriland's Judgment the first time, the bells gave me chills. Combined with people comparing the Judgment Hall to a church and… yeah. I realized that in the context of a real culture, the Judgment Hall, and whatever happens inside it, would have significance. This headcanon likely codified my style of making Undertale headcanons in the first place.
> 
> I’ve read a couple stories about Sans’s position as judge. If I recall, only one, It's Time for Judgment, posted on this site, gives a detailed explanation as to why the position exists at all. No stories explain why Frisk/the protagonist is judged other than Sans wanting to Gaster blast some sense of morality into them. I also realized the implications of EXP/LOVE, and how each of Sans’s judgments reflect his perceptions of human nature. Combine this with the fact that gaining EXP by psychologically harming others is a natural extension of Undertale, and that in this timeline, Sans created the system, and voila! Moral double standards!
> 
> I wanted Sans to have his time to shine, and not just while slamming someone’s face into the ceiling. I wanted him to be as dignified as you’d expect while performing a ceremony as important as the Judgment, since it’s short and strangely sparse in Undertale itself. That’s why Sans’s changes outfits. When I realized that Sans judges you in a hoody and slippers, the dignity of it decreased a ton…
> 
> A skel-ton—?
> 
> {[Yes…]}
> 
> He’s also trying to intimidate Chara so… yeah.
> 
> **TLDR: I thought that Toby and Undertale fans hadn’t fleshed out the Judgment enough, so I wanted to give it more meaning.**
> 
> As for Chara? I wanted a truly sympathetic Chara… but as time went on, I realized that that wasn’t completely possible. Combine a love of gaming, Frisk being bullied, psychological issues, and an eternity in the Void, and Chara’s headcanons result. As knowledgeable as Chara is about the Underground, they’re still a child, so… yeah. They probably wouldn’t have realized that the Frisks they were seeing were multiple different Frisks, not multiple instances of their Frisk. As for why Chara couldn’t recognize Sans, even though they’re in the Void? That will be explained later.
> 
> I found the Megalovania remix which inspired me to make the one I linked to in late February or early March. I loved how much more dignified it sounded compared to The Choice. I remixed Laura Platt’s Megalovania cover in an identical way as that remix. I’d link that remix here but it’s been taken down.
> 
> The orchestral remix of Megalo Strike Back became part of Visiontale’s soundtrack by accident. I searched for “Megalo Strike Back Orchestra Cover” on Youtube one day and found it. I heard how sad it was and knew it was perfect for when Sans and Chara began their logically-flawed argument about morality and free will!
> 
> As for Metalovania? I resisted listening to it the first few times I saw it in my YouTube suggestions feed.
> 
> Obviously, I failed.
> 
> This is my favorite cover of Megalovania…! It’s the only one where the singer sings at full tempo! When I realized how fitting the lyrics were for Chara and I, that... cemented... that notion...
> 
> Basque in the glory that is Judge Sans!


	42. Chapter 42

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As of 10/10/2017, I've been writing Visiontale for a year.
> 
> I can't believe I'm still doing it... and that it's not even done yet...
> 
> I've finally got this chapter down just right, or at least, as close as I can manage as of now. If you want to read about my... conflicting emotions... while writing this chapter, read the endnotes.
> 
> I'M NOT WORTHY!
> 
> The bad time has come.

42

Listen until 0:16 the first time, then loop normally until the next note.

https://soundcloud.com/user815390209/visiontale-soundtrack-metalovania

Deafening noise fills my ears, our screams mixing with the harsh hiss of static. I fly into the air, my fingers ripped from Chara's grip. With every breath, an almost fizzy, metallic taste fills my mouth, nostrils stinging with every gulp of air I do manage to--

I stop moving as quickly as I started.

I am about to breathe a sigh of relief, but a magical force crashes into Mjolnir, rattling it, and I even jostle around inside, the magic holding me in place wavering. Searing pain blooms in my head and chest in waves, each one accompanied by… by the sound of a Gaster Blaster.

A Gaster blaster's beam is colliding with me.

Repeatedly.

I'm… being shot… with a Gaster blaster repeatedly.

After a couple seconds, I experience an instant of free fall, so I assume I'm—

Jagged objects jab me from all sides.

They penetrated my armor, even though I didn’t hear it break.

I go limp.

However, after a moment of silence, I return to consciousness.

In a standing position.

Gripping Chara's hand as tightly as before.

Except the hiss of Gaster blasters continues to fill the air.

“How--“ Chara begins to ask… only for their hand to wrench free of mine again.

They stop mid-sentence, and I… begin to run, to duck and weave and perform physical feats I never learned to do.

All the while, I faintly sense Chara's reassuring presence in my head.

*”You assumed my strongest attack remained constant.”*

I slam face-first into a jagged object--

A bone.

I slam face-first into a bone.

Several bones.

When I fell earlier, I fell onto and through a layer of floating bones, positioned several feet above the floor.

Those bones bypassed Mjolnir's magical defenses as if I had permitted them to enter like a normal object.

The bones enter Mjolnir's interior, dissolving as they make contact with my skin, leaving pinpricks of pain in their wake.

I… black out… again.

As I do, a thought echoes in Chara's head, in an unusually calm and detached tone.

[He's loading.]

We black out proper.

Once I sense the warmth of Chara's hand in mine, we hold onto each other tighter. “How--!?”

I share in Chara's panic.

From what they told me, saving feels painless and takes only an instant.

They’re relieved that this is still true.

Then, confusion washes over us.

[{The load.

[{How—why----do we remember it?}]

I have no response.

“Because of you.”

[{That's not what we meant!}]

Sans's blue magic locks my arms above my head and my legs vertically together. The concentrations of determination spike in Chara's soul as they try to free themselves, their limbs thrashing, their breathing labored and pained, but to no avail. Completely unable to move, he shoots us with Gaster blasters before releasing us. We fall into the bones hovering above the floor a second time.

I—we--black out.

When Chara and I come to, the clack of bones sounds from all around us. “[Get behind me.]”

I don't hesitate.

Grabbing Chara's wrist, they extend their left arm out behind them and begin to half-run, half-drag me across the room, bones in hot pursuit.

“I should explain how I found you.”

Chara and I continue to run.

“I hypothesized that determined humans defy death by healing wounds and rewinding time.”

Mid-jump, I hear a dismayed shout of pain from Chara. Their hand slips from my grip, and my legs slam into a wall of bones, followed by the rest of my body. I—we--fall to the floor.

I—we--die.

Sans loads.

As soon as we appear, Under Chara's guidance, we sprint in a direction, bones and Gaster blasters' beams whizzing past us.

All the while, Sans continues to speak in relatively measured tones, as if...

As if he's talked about this a thousand times before.

He has.

“Frisk failed to truly tap this power.

“For they never edited their save file.”

A Gaster blaster collides with me, my feet swept out from under me as I fly backward into a hard surface. Chara's hand once again slips away, our physical contact and their soulological control over me fading.

We die.

Sans loads.

Chara exerts more effort in controlling my movements this time. Their thoughts become my thoughts, and their movements become my movements. As we continue running, Sans continues talking.

“Now you may witness determination's true power.”

We can’t help but wonder, {[Everyone can see this?]} as we run in between two sets of bones. Both of them abruptly change course until one cluster approaches us from either side. In our efforts to squeeze between them, Sans constricts the space available to us until we have no room to move.

We die.

Sans loads.

Chara wastes no time in positioning me behind them again, choosing to run in a different direction from before.

“Gaster corroborated my hypothesis.

“A determined being constitutes a massive anomaly in the time-space continuum.”

In spite of their renewed effort, in the process of dodging an attack, I lose my grip on Chara's hand again.

I try running of my own accord, but I collide with bones with nearly every step. The combined effort of listening to Sans’s attacks, gauging their behavior, and finding the safest route through them, overwhelms me almost instantly.

Acting on my obseervations, knowing he can see every step I take, proves impossible.

He taught me to fight, after all.

As for predicting his future attack patterns?

Forget it.

In my attempts to avoid bones approaching me from three o’clock, I back into a second cluster of bones at seven o’clock.

I had not moved quickly and precisely enough to avoid them.

Like I ever stood a chance in doing so at all.

I die.

Sans loads.

Only a few seconds pass before Chara separates from me to minimize the damage we take.

“In Frisk's presence he saw timelines jumping left and right.”

I lurch to the left as I hear the grating of bones nearby, but a couple graze my right side. My HP ticks down incrementally… very rapidly.

It continues, even after the attack disappears.

I have never taken damage continuously before.

Chara… has.

“Stopping and starting.”

The clattering of bones rushes toward my face. I backpeddle hurriedly, but not quickly enough, for several bones clang off of Mjolnir's exterior before entering it proper.

Even now, I can sense that Chara is barely keeping up.

Their... prior knowledge... of Sans’s fighting style is only hindering them now.

“Until suddenly, everything ends.”

As much as I want to shut out Sans's words, his magic prevents me from doing so. Humans may perceive monsters' voices as sonic phenomena, but they can't ignore them, for monsters' voices interface directly with the soul instead. Chara and I have the nagging suspicion that even if we were as determined as before, we would still hear Sans's… explanation.

His words continue to echo—

A Gaster blaster’s behind me.

By the time I recognize the sound of it winding up, its beam has already collided with my soul for several seconds.

As Chara screams in dismay, too far away and too occupied to help me, the Gaster blaster... and several others... deplete my remaining HP.

I die.

Sans loads.

This time, somehow, Chara and I manage to hold on to each other for several seconds longer than before. Chara’s hope enters my soul through our touch.

[{We can do this.}]

Our relief is short-lived.

We become separated again before long.

Chara’s hope disappearing is a punch to the gut.

“That's your fault.

“Isn't it!?”

The constant noise of Sans's attacks ceases for a moment, and I can hear Chara sobbing, even as we struggle to hold our own, both of our HP stats draining all the while. “Sans you can't--“ Chara begins to plea.

As they speak, their presence returns, and I eagerly relinquish control of my body to them again. Their... our... hope returns... for--

Bones press into my—Chara’s--our--chests and backs.

We die.

Sans loads.

Chara begins to pull me backward… but they fall--

Sans yanked them away from me.

Purposefully.

“You can't understand how I feel.”

Chara's arm brushes mine for an instant.

I lunge for it, my fingers grazing their sleeve before I—they--fly in another direction.

In midair, my body jerks, my arms and legs bending and retracting toward my torso at random intervals, presumably to avoid colliding with Sans's attacks. Chara fails to do so on a few occasions, however. A Gaster blaster fires nearby, but they mentally pull me out of the way just in time, for I avoid most of its magic. Even so, my skin… burns.

“Knowing that any moment, everything will reset.”

I sense our stats dropping. Only now do I notice that Chara's attack and defense, identical to my own, slowly tick down by the second.

Even Sans’s words damage us, apparently.

That’s not damage.

Only monsters' stats drop like this--

I fly into the path of several Gaster blasters.

Chara didn't--couldn't--help me dodge in time.

[He's separating us…

[So I can’t help you.]

I can’t help but understand the logic behind his choice.

Chara’s the only reason I managed to hurt Jerry at all. They’re my... catalyst... for doing harm.

Without them, it doesn’t matter how knowledgeable I am about the Underground. The skills I learned on the surface are all but useless here. My only advantages were my... Chara’s... our shared determination, and their descriptions.

Without it, I am truly powerless.

We die.

Sans loads.

I notice immediately that we both have reduced stats: forty-three attack, thirty-two defense… and a maximum of ninety-two HP.

“When Gaster passed, I scoured the Soul Search for answers.

“My efforts led nowhere.”

I manage to sense the hair-raising presence of a Gaster blaster behind me and pull us out of the way in time.

“I resigned myself to my fate long ago.”

We avoid a second Gaster blaster, then a third. Our relief forms a positive feedback loop.

“Reaching the surface no longer appealed to me.

“Not without him.”

Despite the complete soulological overload around us, we sense Sans's… melancholy. It runs so deep that even his attacks induce us with it, when we at last fail to dodge one.

Our positive feedback loop ends abruptly.

[Why bother fighting back when he knows everything about us?]

Chara's right.

“Only you and Frisk remember the resets.”

He’s right.

“Our ChronoTrigger time travel theories came true.”

[He's right…]

Somehow, in the heat of battle, even as Gaster blasters rend the armor from my feet, Chara manages to have this thought.

We die.

Sans loads.

Chara’s fingertips have barely touched mine when I begin tumbling head over heels.

Their frantic screaming begins anew.

“I saw no reason to give my all.”

I crash through formations of bones floating in midair, each one splintering with a crunch as they pierce my skin. Just as I begin wondering when the bones will end, I slam into a pillar--the floor--the ceiling--something flat.

We die.

Sans loads.

Chara controls my body again, but not as... confidently as before. As they roughly pull me down to avoid a sheet of bones, Sans laughs harshly.

“Does this excuse my laziness after the Determination Study?

“Hell if I know.”

With one sharp tug on my body—the soulological link between Chara and I, Sans tosses me across the room.

He snapped our mental link.

Chara’s determined presence within my soul vanishes for an instant.

After several moments of freefall—what feels like freefall, but what is actually Sans using his telekinetic powers, he suspends me in midair. I tilt so I am face-down… positioned face-down—

I can’t orient myself relative to anything.

Legs locked together, arms bound at my sides, I can’t even extend an arm and use the pull of gravity to orient myself.

Where is Sans’s voice coming from...?

He says with conviction: “I can't afford not to care anymore.”

Chara’s shock runs through me.

I can’t help but feel relieved that Chara and I share emotions again.

We remain suspended in mid-air for a second.

About halfway through his sentence, my body jerks backward… but I become confused, because I can neither feel my arms or legs nor hear Sans. I try moving, but I still can't feel my body, or hear my clothing rustling around me.

[I can't see!]

I let out a scream as Gaster blasters deafen Chara and I once again. Somehow, I am… moving… even though I don't remember beginning to move.

My body stiff as a board, I careen through the air.

Chara's determination within my soul vanishes. Where it existed, only an empty void remains.

Their control over my body is gone.

Genuinely gone.

I collide with an attack.

I die.

Sans loads.

I fly into the air for a second, only for all sound and haptic feedback to fade away, numbness replacing them.

They both return soon enough.

Not like it matters.

“Even so, I hope we may still be friends.

“For I understand your situation."

Bones whoosh past my feet, so I try jumping over them, but I barely leave the floor.

“Maybe...

“We may return to how it was before.”

The Judgment Hall falls silent again, at least for me, as I fly—

Sans is teleporting me.

He’s deafened me and blinded Chara.

He’s disorienting me, me and Chara.

He’s disorienting us so we can’t fight back. The teleportation is only exascerbating it.

In the instant before I... reappear... I somehow manage to follow this chain of reasoning, but one question still remains.

How?

Sound and the sensation in my limbs return for a split second. I try pulling them toward me, but they remain stiffly straight.

Any sadness in Sans's voice and soul vanishes. I can sense it in his attacks. His passion burns against my body and makes my ears ring.

”No.

“No!

“How could anything be the same!?”  
My body goes numb, and the Judgment Hall seemingly falls silent again.

My hearing returns for an instant, only for it to cut out again just as quickly, as I fall—

Sans dropped me again.

He knew I never could have sensed the attack below me, and even if I had, I never could have deduced its pattern from my position, let alone dodge it in time.

That’s why he did it.

To exploit my blindness.

I die.

When Sans loads again, I turn around and run as fast as I can, hands in front of me to avoid hitting the pillars around us.

I only manage to move a few feet before my feet skid, and I pitch forward, losing my balance.

Sans's unbalanced me.

Purposefully.

I fly backward, back toward the… the fight.

“If I had not acted, you would have consumed more timelines, Chara.”

Sans's… voice breaks… for the first time today.

“Building and testing my machine cost me everything.

“Everything save my morality.

“Unlike you.”

[You can't do this!” Chara pleads.

I second their statement. The tightness in my chest and my erratic breathing are the only signs that I'm crying. “We can still be friends!”

“Sans please!”

Chara has followed my example.

In unison, we cry out, verbally and mentally, mustering up the last of our determination.

{[“LET US GO!]}

The Judgment Hall goes silent for me, but only for an instant.

It returns in time for Sans to say firmly, “Not yet.

“First...

“You must learn restraint.”

The tip of a bone brushes my jaw. Another grazes my ribs on the left side--my ribs on the right side--my forearms--

I die.

Sans loads.

As soon as he finishes loading, he says: “And that day's today.”

Suspended in midair, a thought echoes in our minds… one that makes Chara squirm.

At first, I'm confused about who Sans is referring to… but that fades away as soon as I hear—sense--what he says to us.

*"You feel your sins crawling on your back."*

Chara gasps from below—above--I'm not even sure which direction's which anymore.

We try moving again in vain.

Our attack stats drop to twenty-one, and our defense stats drop to twenty-six.

“[Please Sans you can't--]”

*"You feel your sins weighing on your neck."*

Each of our maximum Hp stats drop from eighty to seventy-five as he speaks.

More than just my—our--pphysical selves are in pain.

It's our souls.

Sans is—

He’s been draining the strength of my… our… souls this entire time.

I only realized it now.

Our stats reach sixty-five HP/seventeen attack/twenty-two defense respectively.

*"You feel karma coursing through your veins."*

Sans's words grate on our ears and souls.

Our stats drop to forty-five HP/fourteen attack/fifteen defense respectively.

[“Sans why!?”]

The burning pain in my body and soul intensifies. Chara and I scream our throats raw, until our vocal cords bleed, and then some. If we remained silent, our only option left would be to cry, but no tears come. Not anymore.

Chara and I scream our throats raw, until our vocal cords bleed, and then some, because it is all we can do.

Sans grips on our souls… or on the determination within our souls… with greater force until my chest seems on the verge of bursting.

The phrase “crushing any chance at resistance” never could have been more true... and literal.

It's only a matter of time before our stats reach twenty HP, ten attack, and ten defense, only to drop even further.

Only now do Chara and I notice that our bodies are caked in blood, covered in cuts from head to toe, each one burning as if someone had poured salt on them. Even our souls seem... broken... but not like a death. As he siphons determination from us, the determination that remains prevents us from enjoying the reprieve which is falling into unconsciousness.

IT wouldn’t even surprise me if he’s... preventing us from falling unconscious somehow, so we can feel every last point of damage Chara has... we have... inflicted on everyone.

I would have done the same, in his place.

Eighteen maximum HP. Eight attack. Eight defense.

*“Now you may feel my weakness.”*

Ten maximum HP. Five attack. Five defense.

We realize simultaneously: you can't fight someone who will never be wrong.

Five maximum HP. Three attack. Three defense.

I can't help but share Chara's sentiments of utter defeat.

{I don't wanna die like this…}

Chara replies weakly: [We're not gonna die.

[Remember?]

Three maximum HP. Two attack. Two defense.

[One.]

Chara repeats flatly. I strain to sense and decipher their thoughts.

[One HP.

[One attack.

[One defense.

[He was like that when you fell.

[When Frisk—

“I—

“We--killed him in the other timelines.

[He...]

Chara and I wait for each of our stat distributions to lower completely.

Two maximum HP. Two attack. Two defense.

Stop the music.

They don't.

The overwhelming weight of Sans's magic, and the pain coursing through us, let up slightly. Chara and I manage to concentrate on our surroundings enough to hear a… strange noise.

Floating... wherever we are, I cannot decipher the noise, even as it… as it moves closer.

Chara identifies the noise before me. They don't explicitly say it, but I understand them regardless.

They're footsteps.

Fast, frantic footsteps.

As they gradually become louder, I—we--hear a shout.

A near-hysterical, almost unrecognizable shout.

“Sans.

“Please!

“STOOOOOP!”

Loop until the next note.

https://soundcloud.com/user815390209/visiontale-soundtrack-disbelief 

The hiss of Gaster blasters fills the air again.

I speak in Chara's voice… not like I disagree with them. Even if I had decided on what to say on my own, I would have expressed similar sentiments.

We shout a reply in unison: “PAPYRUS GET OUT OF HERE!”

{That can't be him!}

[Ooooooooooh: it is.]

Bones whooshing around us, and more footsteps, faster now.

Footsteps continuing to approach us.

“Please you can't!” Chara continues to beg. “He'll kill you!”

Heavy breathing below me, and to one side… it seems like.

{He wouldn’t--!}

[Really?]

Chara’s bewilderment catches me off guard.

[You think Sans cares?

[You think he wouldn’t hurt Paps right now?]

I don’t answer.

[Even after what he’s done to us!?] they insist.

I don’t have to speak to agree with them.

The fact we agree on this... makes me sick.

As Papyrus continues to run, he continues to talk.

“I don't care.” he spats.

He… runs around… in circles… below us.

“I'm not doing this for either of your sakes.”

More running, back and forth.

“I’m doing this for the monsters who yearn for, who deserve, an explanation for what you’ve done.

“A real one.”

Disbelief from Chara shocks me out of my confusion. [He can't be--]

{Can’t be what?}

Papyrus takes shallow breaths as he clarifies, continuing to move: “I'm not here because I don’t approve of what Sans has done to you.

“And what he Is still doing to you.”

{[Thanks dude...]}

He raises his voice. “You hear that, Sans?”

Papyrus grunts in pain.

“I approve of your actions.”

Orange magic… rises into the air around us, tingling on my skin. {[That can't be…]}

Papyrus's footsteps grow faster. [He's dodging--]

{What no way--!}

[Why else would he be--]

{No!

{I mean that orange magic’s his right?}

Chara doesn’t answer.

{What?}

They don’t have to confirm it for me in words.

{Sans’s’s attacking him?!}

Chara remains silent.

“Even I think Chara and the human must suffer the consequences of their actions.”

Papyrus gasps as blue magic begins to surge around us. I hear the floor crack nearby.

“And I agree that only someone who knows the extent of determination's power should wield it.

“Even I’m not that foolish.

“I may be an optimist.

“And I may see the good in everyone...

“But I’m no fool."

Yellow magic sizzling against the floor as Papyrus barely manages to dodge Gaster Blasters.

“Chara?

“Sans is right.

“I know your intentions were good. I just know it!

“But I also know you used your knowledge of our culture to do harm.

“You… you hurt so many monsters.

“And... and humans.”

The crunch of bones... smashing into each other.

“Pauline?

“You let Chara persuade you into using violence.

“You gave in to your base impulses.

“And if by some miracle violence truly was the only way, what you did was...

“Excessive.”

{Who would’ve thought Paps’d say something like that...?}

[Well as he said he’s not thaaaaat stupid...]

Papyrus runs in silence for a second before boldly shouting, “What I cannot agree with is your use of the Judgment, Sans!”

Chara’s soul jerks as they mentally take back their last statement.

{[No Paps no don’t say that!]}

Chara and I can taste the acidity of yellow magic crackling in the air, a manifestation of Sans’s emotional intensity. “You dare to speak to--“

Papyrus cuts him off without any hesitation: “Yes.

“I do.”

Papyrus gneh heh hehs, bitterly and in triumph, all at once.

He challenges: “Go ahead.”

He stops moving.

Even as Sans’s attacks collide with him, he refuses to dodge or retaliate.

All the while, Chara, the spectators within the Judgment Hall, and I, sense his pain: every HP lost, every splinter of bone loosed, every ounce of pressure bearing down on his joints.

He... eggs Sans on:

“KILL ME!”

{He can’t be thaaaat stupid...}

Chara’s on the verge of tears again. [Papyrus STOOOOOOOP!

[Please--Sans won’t—he can—he’s already angry don’t make it worse!]

He’s crying angry tears... or at least, he sounds like it.

“No one can stop you now.”

{He ain’t wrong...}

After gasping for breath for several seconds, he seemingly collects himself. Voice and soul dripping with venom, he says, “But as soon as you leave this place, EVERYONE WILL BE OUT FOR YOUR BLOOD!”

Chara and I have to mentally stop for a second to comprehend what Papyrus has just said.

{[Whoaaaa didn’t see that coming.]}

The clacking of Sans's bones intensifies, and the floor continues to crack. The pillars make similar noises. [He’s crushing the pillars.]

Somehow, Chara seems... unsurprised.

[Sans’s crushing the pillars into dust as easily as you’d crush a piece of paper in your fist.]

“I can't believe you’d corrupt the Judgment like this!”

Bursts of orange magic materialize erratically, only to vanish after an instant, overpowered by the unmistakable searing pain of yellow magic.

“I thought you out of all monsters would know that this isn't what the Judgment was meant for!”

A cluster of Gaster Blasters fires nearby, and I… scrunch up into a ball, surprised that I can even move at all.

[They're not firing at us.]

{I know.}

I know Sans is firing them at Papyrus.

Each one fires a single shot, as Sans retorts “YOU’VE NO RIGHT--!“

Papyrus's blue magic tugs at my and Chara’s souls, easing the pressure on our limbs and pulling us away from the fight ever so slightly, but we revert to our previous positions just as quickly.

Papyrus continues, faster now, as if Sans never spoke: “The Cemented's judge is supposed to tell them how the Cemented has treated everyone around them, for good or ill.”

Papyrus shouts, orange magic intercepting several Gaster blasters, flames roaring to life below us. Despite our proximity to them, we remain unharmed.

They’re supposed to weigh their experiences against what they’ve learned.”

Papyrus has barely finished speaking when Sans answers, “Have I not done so?”

“NO!”

Neither of us have ever heard Papyrus so...

Outraged.

“YOU HAVEN’T!

Papyrus tries to move us again, casting a greater concentration of blue magic than before, only for it to cease abruptly and for him to yelp in pain.

[Not him too…

[Don't make him feel it too…] Chara implores softly.

“They examine the Cemented’s soul for the good of society.

“Not so they can sling their every misdeed at them!

“With no recourse for fighting back!”

{[He ain’t wrong...]}

Sans takes no time to answer. In the same voice he he used when he compelled me to kneel, he demands: “Tell me the War has ended, then.”

{[Heh?]}

He demands: “Tell me the war ended upon the Barrier’s creation.”

Don’t change the subject!”

Sans continues as fervently as before: “A determined monster deserves the title of Judge.”

He demands: “Tell me I’m wrong.”

“We can’t help but agree with Sans.

Papyrus stops running mid-stride... and begins to breathe more heavily from below us. His breath hitches as he struggles to gather the strength to speak.

He fails.

[Not him too…

[Please…]

{Thaaaaaat’s why he’s sooo pissed?}

[And why he’s dressed all coollike?]

Clearly in pain, Papyrus manages to speak: “So you're going to pin the blame of an entire war and several timelines worth of misdeeds on two humans?

“When only the latter is anywhere near true.

“And that’s only true for one of them!.”

{[Paps no why’re you doing this to yourself!?]}

If it weren’t for our inability to move, Chara and I would throw up; Papyrus’s disgust is that tangible.

“YOU WOULD DO THE SAME!”

“I know.”

AS quickly as it appeared, his disgust vanishes, resignedness tinging is voice and soul instead.

He pants more heavily. As he says this, to our surprise, the… intensity… of Sans's magic, fades slightly.

“I know I would.

“Any of us would, if given the chance.

“You’re the only one who can act on it, that’s all.”

Sans's magic fades more rapidly.

“After all, I nearly killed the human for the 'greater good'.

“As you saw.

“As everyone saw.

“And you stopped me because I was being...

“Unreasonable.

“It’s only fair I repay you in kind.”

[Sans nodded.]

More calmly, Papyrus points out, “Considering your knowledge of this room, and everyone in it, you should already know why I am here.”

[He nodded again.]

“Not because of the atrocious deeds done to us by humankind.

“Not to address the burden the humans unavoidably bore for their kind by falling down here, as unfair as that is.”

Sans's magic has dissipated almost completely now.

Chara and I barely have time to acknowledge what Papyrus says next.

He begins to make several shocking inferences in quick succession.

We wholeheartedly agree with each one.

“You agree with my sentiments, fully and in part.

“Even so, you agree with them.

“And that’s what matters.

“You are not using the true extent of your power.

“Magical, moral, or political.

“To do so, you would have stripped me of my right to speak and to cast magic.

“And strictly enforced them.

“And, if I dared to speak out against you...

“If I dared to fight back?

“You would not have tolerated my… defiance... whatsoever.

“You would have made an example out of me.

“You would have broken my will to fight, as you have done to Pauline and Chara.

“Without a second thought

“Maybe, you even would’ve killed me.””

He gneh heh hehs again sadly. [No no Papyrus not this again why--!?]

{I don't know…}

“I’m right.

Aren’t I?

“Judge Sans?”

Chara and I start at Papyrus's use of the title. {So he thinks Sans's right.}

Chara doesn't have to answer.

Sans's magic has completely vanished.

After what seems like an eternity, the Judgment Hall truly falls silent.

[He nodded.]

Stop the music.

Loop until the next note.

https://soundcloud.com/user815390209/visiontale-soundtrack-feelstrousle

Papyrus approaches me. Orange magic brushes my shoulders and head like the gentle pressure of fingers. “I would touch you but… the feeling of bone on your skin must be traumatizing now.

“For both of you.”

We are more relieved by Papyrus's voice than either of us care to admit, verbally or mentally.

The rustling of cloth and the clink of metal nearby. Papyrus's left hand touches mine, and after a few seconds, I realize that I am lying on my left side in midair… and that the only reason Papyrus is even able to hold my hand is because he is raising his left arm over his head to reach me.

After several more seconds, I—

Sans slowly lowers me to the floor.

Papyrus steadies me as I sit on his left side. We sigh in relief as I hear the plop of Chara's shoes on the floor some distance away.

Sans has also lowered Chara to the floor.

They begin walking toward us.

After a few seconds, Chara sits down beside me.

Papyrus stands quietly to one side as Chara and I marvel at the solid floor below our feet, and its failure to... be seemingly yanked out from underneath us.

When we’ve finished, Papyrus touches my hand again, helping first me, then Chara, to stand, repositioning himself in between us in the meantime.

Holding our hands, Papyrus turns to… to face… someone. Probably the rest of the monsters in the Judgment Hall.

Only a moment passes before he begins to speak in a... barely-held-together voice.

He begins to speak carefully, as if any word could... set off... everyone... or Sans.

Mostly Sans.

“I know that what you have seen today has been, traumatic.

“Unbelievable.

“Earth-shattering, even.”

He pauses. [He shrugged.]

“Gneh heh heh... who am I kidding?

“Words cannot describe what has happened here.

“Language cannot describe an event the speaker cannot remember.

“Let alone understand.

“Especially when they lack the experience necessary to even have a chance at understanding it.

“Language cannot describe an event that has happened countless times.

“An event the speaker had been a part of.

“An event they created memories of, in the moment.

“And yet...

“An event they cannot remember at all.”

He pauses.

Softly: “You realized this early on.

“And were overwhelmed.”

Verbally ripping the bandage off: “At least, at first.”

Leaning forward slightly, Papyrus invokes, “You believe it now.

“You believe it all.

I can see it in your eyes. And in your souls.”

Another pause.

“I know all of you are remembering something.

“Many somethings.

“My brother's words have… awakened… memories you never knew you made.

“It's certainly happening to me.”

Papyrus's body shudders in our grip. He takes a breath before continuing.

“Even while he has told you of the true extent of determination's power, some of you must be wondering how he came to wield any conventional magical strength.

“Especially after he has disclosed how his soulological and psychological state has...

“Deteriorated... seemingly beyond repair... over the past twenty years.

"Some of you have.

“For quite a while, actually.”

Monsters begin to whisper.

“Over the past several months, ever since the Unified Paper Riots in Bravery, amateur soulologists have gathered anecdotal evidence of Sans's uses of magic, to determine how he came to wield the colors of magic he does.

“For as he mentioned before, those of you born after 182X do not know how Chara cemented him in integrity.

“It would not be the first time a story from our family has become a... taboo subject.”

The crowd continues to whisper.

“Only a select few monsters know how Sans cemented himself in justice.”

{[No not again…]}

{Wow no one's even surprised--}

[Well Sans’s letting him talk.

[And would they wanna piss off Sans?]

I don’t answer.

[Exactly!]

Just as Chara and I expected, after a short pause, Papyrus opens his inevitable story with exactly the kind of revelation we've come to know.

“I am one of those monsters.

“I triggered the traumatic experience which cemented him in his third color of magic.

“I was the first monster... human... being... he ever cast it on.”

A multitude of emotions begins to flood over my and Chara's souls. Curiosity, fear, anger, sadness… resignation. {There's so many monsters here…}

[Yeah… probly more than when you met Paps at Grillby's. And that's just everyone in person.]

I completely forgot about the livestream.

There are monsters watching history... one of countless histories... unfold from the comfort of their homes.

“It was your eighteenth death anniversary, Chara."

"[{Lovely.}]"

“I woke up early, so I could be even more diligent than normal, as you would expect. Both of you would not know this, but on that day, most monsters try to spend the day doing as much good as they can for their fellow monster.

“Or, I suppose, for their fellow human... humans... now.

“The Inertia Society believes in this most of all.”

{[So that's why Glen worked his ass off…]}

“Back then, I thought the best I could do was go on patrol and watch for humans.”

He gneh heh hehs. “Yes: even after befriending the Second Six Souls, I thought the best thing I could do to serve my kingdom was lead a seventh human to their deaths.”

He contemplates, “Maybe I thought that they weren’t truly dead, because of Alphys's soulological preservation process.

“Maybe Asgore's campaign in response to your death, to Gaster’s death, affected me more than I gave him credit for, Chara.

“All I know as that on that day, I barged into Sans's room, as usual, and urged him to wake up! That today would be the day the seventh soul came to us! That I had to be the one to capture them.

“That if I did, that would… reassure... everyone… that the remaining Gasters weren’t so soft on humans anymore.

“Now that our father was dead.”

“You took a while.”  
Chara and I start at hearing Sans speak.

He adds: “And I ignored you.”

Papyrus replies: “With good reason.

“You were in a rut after all.

“You were receiving most of the flack from everyone for our work on the Determination Study. Hell when someone wasn't complaining to Alphys or Dewey they were bitching at you!”

“Heh heh heh heh heh…”

{[No Sans nooooooooo…]}

“You mean those monsters who disapproved of our 'human-loving roots'?”

“Gneh heh heh.

“Who else?”

[{No Papyrus not this again not you too…}]

“After a couple minutes of railing at you I managed to get you to talk.

“When you did you said you wanted to sleep in.

“'I don't wanna deal with those damned Dreemurrites today,' you said.”

He sighs. “And I ignored you.

“As I always did.

“I yanked the first blanket off you, but you curled up in the second one. I kept insisting that today, out of all days, you should not be lazy! I reasoned if the Dreemurrites saw us working so hard, maybe they'd stop talking to you so... callously. I even told you so!”

He recollects soberly, “I should have stopped when you looked at me and your eye sockets were empty.

“I should have stopped when you said, 'I've given everything for monsterkind every day since Gaster passed.

“’Is that not enough?

“’You can't force me, Paps.'”

Sans interjects before he can continue: “But you continued to lecture. All the usual advice about hard work strengthening the soul.

“Only now would you know why I said that.

“My work reconstructing Gaster's soul was in its seventeenth year. I assumed every time we obtained a human soul, every time I consulted a human for advice, I...

“I...”

“But it didn’t work.” Papyrus gently finishes. “Not as much as you hoped.”

Sans doesn’t have to reply.

“Combined with the treatment we endured while preparing the monster-testing stage of the Determination Study…”

Sans has no need to finish his sentence.

“Yes.

“Knowing that, I… I understand your reaction to my... lecture... now.

“When you finished speaking, I…

“I felt a pain in my body and soul.

“Much like what both of you must have felt right before I came here.

“Exactly like the pain I feel right now, actually.”

The monsters spectating whisper faintly amongst themselves again.

“The pain spread and became stronger by the second. I tried to tell Sans to stop, to put an arm around him to reassure him, to leave the room, but…

“I couldn't.

“My limbs and mandible felt like lead.

“Like…”

Papyrus’s struggle to articulate his experiences hangs in the air.

“It was like someone had shackled me with massive weights.

“Like someone was dragging me down.”

Encouraged, he speaks more confidently.

“Like someone was dragging me down with weights so heavy that after a while, I didn't have the strength to stand.

“Weights that sapped me of the will to stand.

“Weights so heavy my spine felt like it was being crushed.”

Decisively: “Like I was feeling my sins crawling on my back.”

Some monsters gasp… and as Chara and I watch, we sense the pain Papyrus describes… spread throughout the crowd. Some monsters thunk to the floor in response, racked with that exact same pain.

More frantically, Papyrus continues, “I sank to my knees, pulling my scapula more closely to my spine.

“I don't know why but… I thought by making myself smaller, I would…

“It…

“I thought it’d make the pain stop.

“That I…

“That if I made myself the victim then...”

He trails off.

Sans says, almost to himself: “I felt your pain.

“And believe me: I tried to stop.”

“But you didn't.”

“Mm-hmm.

“My anger shaped my magic.”

Papyrus, and everyone else, waits with baited breath for more.

“Part of me didn’t want to stop.

“Nothing I told myself could convince me to stop.

“Nothing and no one could’ve stopped me then.”

“Justifiably so.”

Chara and I start in surprise as Papyrus agrees with his brother.

“By this point, I had been kneeling, skull bent low to nearly touch my sternum, for only Tesla knows how long. Eye sockets focused on my lap, I saw the surface of my bones glow gold.

“I did not understand what this meant at the time.”

His next sentence is a slap to the face.

A slap to his own face.

Bitterly: “But I damn well should have.

“I had tried to stand. To… look you in the face. To summon the willpower to speak but… I could not.

“Not until I felt a… presence… above me.”

Papyrus's voice drops to an… awed whisper.

“I couldn't recognize you at first. Not until I located your patience and integrity.

“And when I finally sensed them I thought nothing was wrong.

“Even though to find those colors of magic, I had to... wade through... a third color.

“Maybe my... familiarity... with it fooled me into a false sense of security.

“Somehow.”

Apprehension leaks into my soul from Chara. I try to ask them about it, but they mentally shush me.

“I felt your hand on my mandible. You gripped it firmly and tilted my skull upward until we were eye socket to eye socket.”

Chara and I have heard Papyrus run the gambit of emotions, but, vulnerability is new to us.

“You were sitting on the edge of the bed, looking down at me. Our height difference wasn't too great but, it didn't feel like that. I was the one who felt small then.

“When I looked, I saw your right hand in your pocket, and your left on my mandible, your phalanges glowing blue. Even then I couldn’t understand what had changed.

“At least until I finally met your gaze.

“As I watched, your left eye, which had been glowing blue, changed color.

“As I watched, it began to glow gold.

“It grew brighter and brighter, until it glowed the most intense gold I had ever seen.”

We all wait in anticipation for Papyrus to continue.

“Even... even brighter than Gaster.”

Some monsters gasp softly.

“But it didn’t shine anywhere near as brightly as today. And not just because only one eye glowed back then.”

{So that’s where it came from...}

“Looking back on it, I’ve realized something.

“That I deserved to feel that pain .

“And the pain I feel right now.

“And I know exactly why.”

Papyrus's voice cracks. “It's because that day wasn't the first time I ignored your needs in favor of my own.

“Far from it!

“Hell as long as I can remember I've gotten you to do things for me!

“I never asked you what you wanted.

“Even when we became as old as human adults I still did it.

“That day was just the most severe case.”

Papyrus shouts, “Do you know how I know this?”

Sans doesn't answer.

“It's because I inflicted so much pain on you!

“More than all of those damned Dreemurrites combined!

“It's because I've gained so many Execution Points.

“It’s because I thought the pain you felt was a fair cost to pay...

“In exchange for my happiness.”

Papyrus begins to cry in earnest. “For all I know my behavior’s why you made that system in the first place.”

He hiccups for a while, until, he falls silent with a gasp.

After a few more moments, he takes another breath.

Soul quavering with fear, he calls out.

“Permission to speak.

“Judge Sans?”

A silence where we all wonder why Papyrus has changed the subject.

As everyone reels from Papyrus’s sudden change in mood, we flinch as Sans responds.

A firm “Permission granted.”

“I stand before you today to beg that you heed some requests.”

An agonizing pause where I can sense every channel of magic flowing through the air.

“I beg that you suspend judgment, so Pauline and Chara may fully resolve the issue of the Third Seven Souls.”

Silence.

“I propose that now, you release them so they may prepare to meet Asgore.

“Only when the fate of the Third Seven Souls has been determined will you judge whoever is left.”

Orange magic rushes into the air anew, even as Papyrus struggles to speak through another bout of tears.

“When that time comes, I will not interfere.

“I swear it on my life.”

A reflective silence follows.

At last, Sans speaks, formally and deliberately.

“State your last request.”

{There’s three of them?}

[You think he wouldn’t know?]

{Good point--}

[There’s always three of the things you know this!]

“This.”

Papyrus lets go of us and... begins walking forward.

“I wish to atone for my sins.”

He continues to walk.

“Until the issue of the Third Seven Souls has been resolved, I, Papyrus wingdings Gaster, consent to being judged.”

The crowd around us talks louder. I even catch snippets of conversation.

“--even if he doesn't have any guts.”

“--supposed to be like this.”

“--your funeral man. Your funeral.”

“I, Papyrus Wingdings Gaster, consent to being judged for my every action.”

“No…” I breathe.

Chara sidesteps toward me until our hands intertwine again. “I wish it weren't true…”

It doesn't surprise me that Chara doesn't sound their age.

“I, Papyrus Wingdings Gaster, consent to being judged for every Execution Point I have earned.”

The crowd becomes louder.

Baffled.

Fearful.

Impassioned.

Discontent.

Chara and I sense the orange magic surrounding Papyrus grow in intensity as he slows his pace.

At last, he stops, standing before Sans.

As we shift positions so we can hear him better, we welcome its warmth on our bodies. Through his magic, we sense Papyrus mustering up the strength to shout over the crowd.

“And you, Sans Wingdings Gaster, shall be my judge.”

Stop the music.

[He's gonna kneel on the floor like we did.]

It seems like everyone has fallen silent to witness yet another first for monsterkind.

At least, for the moment.

[He did it.

[He--]

The orange magic around Papyrus tears away.

In its place is… blue and yellow magic.

In the instant Chara is about to finish their sentence, the blue and yellow magic spikes in intensity, until the floor underneath our feet shakes, and our skin burns-

The space surrounding us—

We remain untouched.

There is blue and yellow magic nearby, but it is not being cast on Chara and I.

Neither color of magic is directed at Papyrus, Chara, or myself.

Not exactly.

When Chara told me “When a deep authoritative voice tells you to do something you do it,” it didn't sink in, because I had never experienced it. Not knowingly.

Not when the order in question is infused with magic.

In the instant Chara is about to finish their sentence, sans shouts a command.

*”GET DOWN!”*

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's official people. From now on, refer to Judge Sans by his title... or else. When I roleplay as Sans in my comments, I will be roleplaying as him so... yeah.
> 
> Here's Metalovania!
> 
> https://soundcloud.com/user815390209/visiontale-soundtrack-metalovania
> 
> Here's the link to my Disbelief remix.
> 
> https://soundcloud.com/user815390209/visiontale-soundtrack-disbelief 
> 
> Here's the link to Feelstrousle.
> 
> https://soundcloud.com/user815390209/visiontale-soundtrack-feelstrousle
> 
> Long story short: the No Mercy Route is my favorite route due to Flowey's exposition... and Sans. I realized that the sound of Sans's bones poking Frisk to death... actually created a vivid soundscape for me, just because they played so often. Them, and the Gaster blasters. Then, I realized a Sans fight in a world without a turn system would be a clusterfuck... and it would be I don't even want to know how many times harder. I tried to capture the clusterfuck-inducing aspects as best I could by having choppy narration and vague descriptions because... seriously how would I even perceive the fight? Everything that could make it harder happened... except that here, Sans can load even if we manage to hit him... which we don't, because he has complete control over our movement. We can't run away because shortcuts... and the flickering during his fight is... actually much more disorienting than I described here. That will be explained soon.
> 
> I've thought about how to write this fight for months... ever since the end of 2016. The extremist, determined Sans didn't arise until around May of 2017, maybe sooner. When I couldn't take it anymore and spilled the Judgment theory beans to my boyfriend, he told me, in effect, to "make it sound like a battlefield..." so I did... and then some. This chapter is why I put a ChronoTrigger spoiler warning at the very beginning of the story. Sans comparing the resets to ChronoTrigger's time travel will also be explained soon.
> 
> As for why I subjected myself to the bad time? Let's just say it's... punishment? for doing and or saying all the things I regret most... or at least, I intended it to be that way. It's me negating everything that made the Sans fight doable: the fact that you can reset... and that you can see what you're doing. It's my morbid curiosity regarding the No Mercy Route being written down for all to see... because in my head, the No Mercy Route is the most vivid.
> 
> Disbelief Papyrus struck a chord with me as soon as I heard about him. Visiontale Papyrus is essentially Disbelief Papyrus, but with more politics and genuine disagreements between him and sans. Their fight is the culmination of my work making Papyrus into a more believable and realistic character. He's how I want optimistic people to be: cautious, and yet deadset on what optimism they do have.
> 
> As for Judge Sans? He's Error Sans, except he's directing his extremism toward a more tangible target. Considering America's... history... with extremism, I channeled it into his views. I wanted a lucid Sans willing to use violence, a Sans who, unlike in Undertale itself, doesn't always use his powers for good, a Sans whose emotions overwhelm him, but not to the point of insanity,. I wanted Sans to hold a position only he deserves. He's as powerful as he deserves to be, as powerful as his station demands, as intimidating as his station demands, as zealous as his experiences demand. A sans who cares, but not for all the right reasons... but for enough of them.
> 
> The music choices were essentially wish fulfillment... because Disbelief is sad in its own way, Feelstrousle is even more sad than that, and Metalovania is "bad time" incarnate! I'd gush about how good Caleb's vocals are, but you can hear them for yourselves.
> 
> Think about it: in Sans's place, you'd want justice to be served to those who've wronged you, even if it is violent and outside the law. We're just conditioned to desire justice through the "usual" channels. Sans just internalized his upbringing more thoroughly because he saw versions of him living happily on the surface by Tesla! I wouldn't blame him for... delivering karmic retribution... upon Chara and I... and whoever else he thinks deserves it. I'd say more but... it's spoilers...
> 
> Me me realizing the war never ended late at night changed everything forever. That notion is what drives Judge Sans.
> 
> As of 10/13/2017, I'm a little less than halfway done editing the audio drama for chapter 41. I'll post the link to it when it's done.
> 
> As for what will happen in the next chapter? If you've been monitoring the Dreemurrite political climate, you'll appreciate it. If not, it's... out of left field. However, in its own way, it fits in perfectly.


	43. Chapter 43

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Visiontale officially has over 190,000 words now! Despite that, we still haven't reached Asgore yet...
> 
> Oh well.
> 
> As of the first posting of this chapter on 11/30/2017, my finals end in a week so... {[DETERMINATION!]}
> 
> After almost seven weeks of silence, because a skele-ton of work, I'm back!
> 
> I'm still working on the audio drama for Chapter 41. I'm considering splitting it into two parts so it's easier to edit/upload. If I do post it in multiple parts, I'll post the Soundcloud link to it when it's done.
> 
> Anyway, CUE POLITICS!

43

*”GET DOWN!”*

{[Wait what the--?]}

Why’s Sans shouting at us?

Before we can react, let alone begin answering that question, our bodies slam against the marble floor, my knees digging into a groove between two marble tiles. As a monster's piercing screams echo off the walls, I clamp my hands over my ears instinctively.

"NOOOO!

“STOOOOOP!"

Startled, lying on my stomach, my hands scrabble across the floor until they brush Chara's shirt and pants. I scoot closer and closer to them, until our bodies press together, and we wrap our arms around each other. We sense the rapid fluctuations of the orange magic surrounding Papyrus’s soul not too far in front of us.

Only a brief moment after we hit the floor, the cracking of stone… and more shrill screams… fill the air.

"NOOOOOO! STOOOOP!

“NOOOOOOT HEEEERE!

"LEEEET! MEEEEEE! GOOOOOO!!!"

Chara grips me tighter.

The floor shakes with every chunk of marble that reigns down. We shudder and shrink in on ourselves as the blocks of stone fall closer and closer to us. Though they have not told me, I know Chara has squeezed their eyes shut.

I follow suit.

As abruptly as it started, the crumbling slows, then stops.

[No.

[No way.]

Just above our prone bodies, the pull of blue magic rakes across us, and an intense… burning… fills the air.

[I thought you…

[He’s--]

{What?}

Out of place calm: [He's rebuilding it.]

[But there's soooo much!]

Their calm shatters as soon as it started.

[How--!?]

A moment of confusion.

Chara doesn't know what to say.

They've said all they can say.

As if their panic transforming into calm wasn’t disarming enough, after a moment their body begins to shake with laughter beside me.

[By Tesla I'm stuuuuuupid!

[How could I forget?

[I know how he's doing it.]

In a mental voice that's… not my own… or Chara's… we say: -Determination.-

More grinding sounds as Sans reassembles what had been destroyed. The magic eminating off the crowd's souls, and the mixed emotions conveyed through their magic, subside, until all that is left is a soft tingling on our bodies. Through it, we sense their awe and uncharacteristic calm.

Eventually, even that fades, until only a strangely empty, magic-less silence replaces it.

The… ordinary… silence, completely absent of the temperature, haptic, and soulological feedback I have learned to rely on, unsettles us.

Everyone has stopped projecting their souls out into the room for some reason.

An eternity passes before the silence is broken.

*Loop until the next note.*

https://soundcloud.com/user815390209/visiontale-soundtrack-fanaticism

The silence is broken by the thundering of yellow magic crackling through the air.

Though loud, sudden, and jump scare-inducing for Papyrus, Chara, and I, it pales in comparison to what we sense next.

My stomach churning, bile rising in my throat, power rips through the Judgment Hall, a vice-like force grips every soul and shakes it down, the contents of each one spilled out into the open for… scrutiny.

*"WHO HAS DONE THIS?

*"SHOW YOURSELVES!"*

It doesn't take long for a crowd to roar in reply.

"WE HAVE!"

Footsteps and wingbeats and slithering noises approaching us from all sides. Pushing and shoving and… a monster's muffled screams.

The same screams as before.

Not too long after they fade away, the screams slow, then cease, followed by a thudding sound.

[No that can't be!]

The ether in the air vibrates ever so slightly as a nearby monster readies themselves to speak.

When they do, their voice quivers, but only slightly, as they struggle to make themselves heard… as they struggle to project their soul beyond their physical body so we can sense their presence.

We shake violently when we hear that monster's voice.

"I have.

"Judge Sans."

[NOOOOO!!!]

{Whaaat!?}

[It's Touring--!]

{Wait whaaaat!?}

[Yeaaaaah it's Touring! They tied her up and duct taped her but they let her go and--]

{But I thought she was friends with Sans!}

[She is but I don’t think that’s it--]

Touring's soul shakes with fear, but she manages to keep it in check. She stands her ground. Somehow, her stats don't fall.

"Yes.

"I came here to speak to you--”

[She's pointing at where the broken stuff was.]

"--but I didn't plan THIS!"

A silence where the weight of the magic around us squeezes the air from our lungs.

"But Touring.

"Why?

"Why’ve you come here?

"How could you have done this!?"

An excrutiating pause.

"It's about the Judgment, isn't it?”

Tense silence.

"It's about THEIR Judgment--"

[Paps's pointing--trying to point--at us.]

"--and mine.

"Right?"

Another excrutiating pause.

A quiet, sad laugh. "What else?

"Please. Let me explain why I'm here. And why they--"

[She's pointing at the monsters behind her--us.]

"--damaged the Judgment Hall.

"Then," Touring's purple magic spikes as she tries to keep her emotions under control, "you may do with me what you wish, Judge Sans."

Silence.

Touring stumbling through what sounds like, what was intended to be, a well-thought-out speech.

"Look I… I don't disagree with you."

[{Heh?}]

"What I disagree with’s the institution you're part of."

Another excrutiating pause. We brace for another outburst, or at the very least, an eloquent and brief rebuttal.

Neither of them comes.

Instead, the blue magic cast around us fades away.

"Very well."

The yellow magic sparking against our bodies vanishes just as quickly.

"Rise."

The three of us waste no time in doing so, Chara nudging me so I face Touring.

Her pace quickens a little. "I'll make it quick.

"Don’t get me wrong. I know monsterkind needs laws. ‘Cause we’re not perfect. Hell the psychophysiological nature of our sols might make us even crazier than humans in some ways.

“I don’t mean the Inertia Society should make more regulations.

"I mean we need REAL laws.”

Silence.

"I've said this a thousand times before."

Silence. [I thiiiiiink…? heeeeeeee's listening…?]

{Why wouldn't he be?}

An uncertain noise. [If she's here it's gotta be preeeeeeetty baaaaaaad--]

{Why's it gotta be baaaaaaad?}

[Well like at the least it's not good.]

Candidly: "I don't wanna get rid of the Judgment."

"Far from it!

“’Cause it reflects how WE do things."

-[{She ain't wrong--}]-

"’Cause it’s our way of showing how a monster’s matured. And how the knowledge they’ve gained from cementing themselves helps them become part of our community.

“No.

“I think the Judgment Hall needs to go."

[She's spinning around pointing at stuff.]

"The Judgment Hall’s based on architectural plans from three hundred years ago!"

[{Hooooly crap!}]

"And yeah I know it was built a century ago but…”

Touring has seemingly aged by several decades—a century—when she next speaks. ”For us a century's not that long at all."

She pauses, Chara and I wondering how a hundred years isn't a long time.

"And in all that time we've gotten less and less religious every day.”

[What?]

“Everyone has.

"Humans and monsters."

[Heh?]

-{Yeah she's right.}-

[I mean John Green probly said so at some point so… ehh…?]

"If the current generation of monsters can't relate to the symbolism behind something as…"

She gropes for the right word. "Integral… to our society,

“Then…"

Sudden passion: "THEN WHY USE IT!?"

Silence.

Touring stops spinning. "There're sooooo many things from the surface that haven't helped monsterkind at all! Only harm them.

"It's just that no one agrees on what they are."

Before we can process her outburst and change in subject, she begins to list items: "Mustard gas.

"The atomic bomb.

"Wire-tapping.

"Government surveillance, of all kinds.

"Cyber crime.  
"Democracy."

"What!?" Chara, Papyrus, many other monsters, and I, interject, but Touring continues to talk as if we never spoke.

"Even the most progressive monsters know we're not ready for that yet." she says… gently.

Her voice strains as it rises: "And yet, we've been told it's this,”

She struggles to articulate her thoughts again. “This, magical cure-all, for hundreds of years!"

The three of us have no need to agree with her aloud.

Of course we know this is true. How could we not?

I've discussed American history with Chara and the Inertia Society as long as I've known them.

Touring's words spill out, as if--

As if she's afraid she'll be silenced at any moment.

"How can we vote for our laws and government officials when monster education's so skewed toward outdated, state-written history?"

[She's looking at us!]

"Like the Plaque!" Touring insists. "Pauline. Chara: have you guys thought about why the Plaque's even there!? 

"How we can teach THAT to our children and yet advocate for freedom of information at the same time!?"

I don't answer.

We don’t answer.

How can we answer?

We haven't thought about it. We never had reason to talk about it.

Bitterness: "The only reason the Plaque's still there's 'cause we've grown too attached to it.

"We haven't learned yet: not everything we’ve made’s superior to humans.

"There're lots of things you guys got right.

"And I mean it."

How can Touring go from being on the verge of tears to Undyne levels of passion to cold resentment to blunt honesty in the span of a couple minutes?

This thought preoccupies me so completely that I find it hard to listen to Touring, who is suppressing her emotions as much as she can. Even so, purple and orange magic bloom to life around her, and we welcome it.

She insists again: "Monsters need to be educated first.

"In HUMAN affairs.

"In the RIGHT human affairs."

"And superstitions like religion… they're AREN'T the right things.

"Gasterite culture has no use for those things."

She has barely finished speaking when voices ripple across the room: "The Gasterocracy!"

"Exactly."

Chara and I start as Touring receives an… almost inaudible response.

"You want to tear down the Judgment Hall?

"Now?"

She responds with no hesitation: "Yes and no, Judge Sans."

Touring's fear has all but disappeared. "We wanted Pauline's Judgment to be the last one here.

"And it’s true.

"I DO want to tear this place down!"

Frantically: "But I didn't wanna do it now! You have to believe me they--!"

"Don't dig any deeper to dredge up the dregs of magic in devotion to this endeavor, trala."

-"[{SHAKUR!?}]"-

A short pause, as the boat valet walks forward.

Sans catches his breath in surprise.

"Since you've slated this space as a soap box, Judge Sans, I second Touring's request to speak."

-[{Daaaaaamn she's--they're--gooooooood.}]-

[Wow: I never thought I'd see Sans stare at Shakur for sooooooo looooong and sooooooo haaaaaaard…]

They don’t wwait for him to answer.

They begin smoothly: "I know the scope of what you know overshadows ours a thousand-fold, Judge Sans,"

[{Woooooow Shakur's not flattering him at aaaaaaall!}]

-Seriously you think they wouldn't they damn well need to soften him up!-

[{Yeah but still!}]

"--so you surely must be privy to THIS concept."

They say clearly: "Religion as the opiate of the masses--"

[What's that?]

I hurriedly reply: {Don't ask--}

[Seriously?]

{It's a looooong story.}

"Yes."

"In that case, you must know why monsters, young and old, prize the Plaque so highly trala."

I lean toward Shakur, eager for their explanation.

"The Angel Who has Seen the Surface… THAT is our religion.

"THEY are the opiate for the masses.

“One of many.

"The Inertia Rune and the Delta Rune derive meaning from the methods of finding this Angel they represent respectively. Surely you must have pondered this notion?”

[He nodded—]

{[Took him long enough.]}

"The Angel, Inertia Rune, and Delta Rune exist for the same reason."

Softly: "Because they offer hope.”

Nervous, buzzing anticipation from the monsters around us, feeding off our own emotions.

"One offers hope through science, and technology, and testing the limits of what exists. It desires to create something new, many somethings that are new.

“With enough intelligence and late nights staring at a circuit and--"

They enunciate, "Determination--"

-[{Eh!}]-

"--they would succeed.

“They MUST succeed.

“Any of them could be the Angel, if they just thought hard enough or worked hard enough or channeled enough of our pain.”

An information-absorbing pause.

"The other offers hope by being in touch with one's emotions, and faith, and what already exists.

"Doing more with less.

"Having faith that if something better is to come along, we can't hasten its arrival.

"We have to be patient.

“But when that opportunity arrives, we shouldn’t let something so burdening as rationality or logic get in the way.

“Pauline? Chara?”

We turn toward Shakur’s voice.

“It may seem simplistic, but there really are monsters who think like this trala. I would delve into the deeper meaning of these supposedly diametrically-opposed opinions, but I’m afraid I’m not the proper monster to ask.”

Silence.

{I mean they're right I guess.}

[I didn't know that--]

{What?}

[Yeah I never knew this--]

{But how--}

[I guess I didn't live long enough to learn it.]

-You learned it just by living here.-

As calmly as ever: "But mind you: none of us charge the ‘OTHER side’ or any other side for being unreasonable trala.

“Neither do most Gasterites or those who you know as Dreemurrites see each other as enemies.

“In fact,”

Wistfully: "I bore an Inertia Rune once. Not too long ago.

"Gaster sewed the Delta Rune to his lab coat, in centuries past.

"For in centuries past there were Inertia Society members who treated science and technology like religion.

“There still are.

"And there are those who cling to the Dreemurrite court because they think it’s the only thing monsters truly made themselves.

"And there are too many equally-valid points of view besides these that I can’t even begin to do justice to trala."

Another silence, punctuated only by the faint whispers of monsters.

Everyone shudders and stops mid-sentence as Sans replies: "The Judgment is an opiate, then?"

"Yes trala." Shakur seems completely unfazed by Sans's cold retort. "Actually, now that you have revealed the revelation that humans and sufficiently-determined monsters can manipulate time to their whims, there is little, if any chance for there to be a meaningful afterlife, let alone reason for any of us to believe in one."

Everyone, even Touring, murmurs in agreement.

"No.

“To some, the Delta Rune elevates the Judgment to the status of a religion.

“And if it wasn’t one before, you’ve officially garnered the respect inherent to one trala.”

Shakur walks toward us, until their cloaked limbs wrap around Chara and my shoulders.

Unusual lucidity for Shakur: "Pauline. Chara.

“Both of you must know by now that the Delta Rune forms a triangle. The winged circle forms its topmost point. And the trapezoid comprised of three triangles forms its base trala?"

"Yeeeeeeah...?"

"Well has anyone ever told you what each component signifies?"

"Noooooooo...?"

Some emotion masked behind their normal soothing tone: "That doesn’t surprise me at all.

“To put shortly: the leftmost triangle represents the Inertia Society, for left-handed individuals are often associated with cleverness, and creativity.

“And to some, radicalism.

"The rightmost triangle signifies the state. The Dreemurrite government, as you know it. The stability of the monarchy. A counterweight to the Inertia Society, if you may trala.”

They pause as I visualize the Delta Rune. They continue after a moment.

"The triangle nestled between them is the populous, seemingly supported by those on either side. Balanced on its tip, and yet, prevented from falling by those around them.

"In this position they are protected from whatever may harm them.

“To some these triangles seem to resemble a scale, though it is somewhat separate from what humans call a scale trala.”

Shakur is about to continue when Chara interrupts.

"The top of the triangle.

"That's the Judge, isn't it?"

I freeze.

"The circle’s not connected to anything cause they don't answer to anyone.

"And that’s 'cause they're above everyone else.

“Even the king."

Chara's voice,, body, and soul shake as they state: "'Cause their power sets them apart. Everybody thinks that.

“And everybody thinks power is knowledge for the Judge.

"And the Judge has to do sooo much stuff to get so strong so they know more about magic and the soul and...”

Fear and understanding completely out of place for their age... and yet, I’m not surprised by it anymore.

"And what’s moral and what’s not...

“Than we do.

"And we AAAAAAAALL know knowledge is power."

Shakur's silence requires no clarification.

Reeling from the profoundness of Chara's speech, I find it difficult to concentrate on Shakur.

"You have a way with words, Chara.

“You’re right, as circular as that sounds.”

They take a breath. "No one doubts that in wartime the Judge wields great power: magical, moral, and political.

“And upon reflection I find my past bashing of those who claimed the war had never ended foolish. I can’t be the only one who’s done this.”

Ever so faint murmurs of agreement from the crowd, Chara, and myself.

If Shakur hasn’t made it clear enough: “The war hasn’t ended trala.

“And because the war hasn’t ended we SHOULD grant someone the title of Judge.

“We should’ve done so as soon as the Barrier came up trala.”

Silence.

“We should AT LEAST concede that Judge Sans deserves his title and the power it entails.

“I think he deserves even more power Than that.”

They chuckle. “After what we’ve seen how could he not?”

A silence where no one needs to speak to agree with them.

“And besides: who are we to doubt him?”

No one answers.

“This is not why I’ve humbled myself before you, Judge Sans.

“I do so to make an observation.

“What I think is that we need more than just material security.”

Silence.

"We need someone to look up to.

"We need someone to reign in society.

"We need someone to determine what is right and wrong.

“We need someone who will take our ideas of right and wrong, crime and punishment, what we value, what we despise... and act on that knowledge.

“We need someone who knows how we’ve acted in the best of times, and in the worst of times.

“Someone who’s seen each of us at our most selfless and our most selfish.

“Someone who’s seen each of us gain the whole distribution of values of Execution Points.

"And that kind of autocratic power will serve us well when the Barrier breaks, or if we ever go to war again.”

Barely-contained desperation and desire. “And even if we don’t go to war again I think we need a truly unshakable constant in our lives.”

Awe, fear, and... reverence... as Shakur lets go of us.

[They’re... bowing toward Sans.]

"And who better to fill all these roles than the Judge?"

Stop the music.

I have no need to reply.

I understand their reasoning, even if I don’t prescribe to all of it.

Just as I am about to speak, somewhat confident I've thought of a sufficiently-profound reply...

*Reach the next note by around 2:47. Stop the music at 2:47*

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WnDJdwp_Gq8 

A monster shouts from behind us. "NO!"

Another monster agrees: "He deserves so much more!"

A third, angrily: "You can’t say what Judge Sans can and can't do!”

A fourth: “Shut up he's the one in power here!"

"NO the Judge isn't like that he’s--"

Another: "Why can’t Judge Sans depose Asgore?”

A scream, presumably from a Gasterocracy member: "Judge Sans and Dr. Gaster and Sir Papyrus should rule!"

Chara and I aren’t even surprised anymore. We wait for the inevitable.

"--forbid that! Practicing religion's an explicit right!"

"—a religion based around our culture, why not Judge Sans?"

"--the power to alter the government! You're disrespecting the king!"

"--voting! Touring's right! We have to vote--"

“—can’t support tyranny! The French didn’t! Why should we!?”

“—abuse his power! What’s stopping him from killing anyone he wants?”

"Judge Sans knows he haaaas to!”

“He HAAAAAAS to be the Angel!”

“He can teach us everything!!“

"You’re stupid!"

"No YOU’RE stupid!"

"Give me liberty or give me death!"

"Kill or be killed!"

"Break our inertia!"

"LIES!"

"DAMNED LIES!"

"STATISTICS!"

Right on cue, the inevitable comes.

Purple magic flings monsters up in the air, sending them crashing into pillars. They fall back down, bowling over monsters on the ground. Orange magic sets clothing alight, the all-too-familiar scent of burned fabric wafting toward us. Feverish gunshot-like bangs ring out, not too dissimilar to Kari, when she cast magic, in her last moments.

In the distance, we hear the all-too-familiar hissing and crashing of Gaster blasters.

Somehow, Chara and I do not panic. We stand amidst the chaos, waiting for... something.

All of a sudden, wind blows past us---

No.

It is ether.

The ether in the air is... rushing past us. It pushes on us so we lean in the direction it blows, but we do not fall.

As it rips at our clothes, monsters... cry out in protest?

“Duuuude what’s going on?”

"What gives!?"

“My magic!"

"Who could've done this!?"

"This is impossible!"

"This is madness!"

"MADNESS? THIS! IS--!"

All at once, any and all complaints die down.

Chara and I stand completely still as the thud of heavy boots echoes through the room.

The floor shakes as those heavy, thudding footsteps enter the midst of the crowd.

Eventually, Judge Sans stops walking and begins to speak, every word a hammer blow. If it weren’t for our fear of moving out of turn, we would clamp our hands over our ears and squeeze our eyes shut. His conviction, manifested via short bursts of magic, sears our souls anew.

"Must I cite my first act as Judge?

"Only I may cast magic here."

Papyrus, Chara, Touring and I can't help but comment.

-"{[Oooooooooh shiiiiiit!]}"-

More muffled protests: "Hey man what gives?"

"Who the hell do you think you are!?"

"I fucked up...”

Sharply, to the whole crowd: "Have you leave to speak?"

We repeat, quieter this time: -"{[Ooooooh shiiiiit.]}"-

Various replies of “No” in varying tones: suppressed anger, exasperation, sheepishness and... fear.

The complaints die down, but not completely.

Disconcerting calm: "Papyrus’s Judgment shall commence.

"I trust you shan’t cast magic again."

Silence where the weight of the blue and yellow magic and determination around us forces Chara and I to our knees.

Murmurs of “Yes,” and a few moments of silence as the descentors’ voices fade away.

The issuing of a familiar command.

"Papyrus.

"Step forward."

Bones rattling, chest heaving, Papyrus obeys, walking the same path Judge Sans just walked, the magic in the air subsiding moment by moment.

Several nerve-racking moments of silence after Papyrus reaches him.

He shudders as he kneels for a second time, the magic cast on the crowd vanishing as his patellas click against the marble floor.

An awed mental whisper: [Papyrus's soul’s glowing blue.

[I can't look at it it's too bright.]

As Chara observes him, blue and yellow magic grip his soul, snuffing out his orange magic.

Judge Sans intones: "Now.

"You will be judged."

Monsters begin to whisper again.

"You will be judged for your every action."

The whispers grow louder, and the crowd's magic slowly intensifies. [No no no no no didn’t you hear what he just said!?]

"You will be judged for every Execution Point you have earned."

The rustling of wings and legs and the scraping of claws against the floor, behind Judge Sans.

"And I--"

Mid-proclamation, several monsters yell in unison.

"GRAB HIM!"

Affirmative shouts in reply.

Chara and I fall forward onto the floor, and Papyrus whooshes through the air to land on top of us.

"NO!!!"

He promptly pushes off of us and sprints back toward his brother, Chara dragging me along as we follow him.

A knot of monsters shout in protest in front of us.

"Seriously!?"

"You can't do this!"

"Magic’s our right!"

"Who’re you to--"

A flash so bright I have to squeeze my eyes shut... immediately followed by a chorus of familiar voices.

"Judge Sans!

"Oh b-b-b-by T-T-T-T-Tesla you're h-h-h-hurt! What c-c-c-can me and my dads d-d-d-d-do for you?"

"Judge Sans!

"I don't know what you need me for--but if it's healing items or ice packs I got you!

“’Cause fucking hell you need them...”

"Judge Sans...

"I... I am terribly sorry. My emotions... they completely overpowered me! I never should have reacted so readily to the psychophysiological states of my fellow spectators. My yellow magic--"

"That can wait."

Everyone stops talking at once.

Ever so slightly less put together: "Listen.

“Before my determination fails.”

As he takes a shaky breath, bursts of magic from the crowd surrounding Judge Sans escape toward us.

"Alphys. Touring.

"Secure the Lab. Halt the belts and lock the CORE.”

"Y-y-y-yes Judge Sans!"

“Right away, Judge Sans.”

Papyrus yelps in pain and surprise, and Chara and I flinch as his bones rattle beside us.

"Gaster.

“Route all non-vital magic here.”

"With all haste, Judge Sans."

Chara pushes me to the side, a tendril of purple magic shooting past us.

"Curie? el-Shabaz?

“Procure civilian aide at your discretion.”

Alphys’s parents say in unison, “With pleasure, Judge Sans.”

Undyne, solemnly: "I give my body mind and soul in service to you , Judge Sans."

Papyrus abruptly hauls me into the air and sets me down closer to him. "Damned bullets. By Faraday’s lisp stop attacking him!”

Orange magic surrounds Papyrus, Chara, and I, monsters shrieking as they touch it.

More urgently now: "You two.

“Wait in Asgore's basement."

"But for how long this could--!"

"When I have restored peace—“

"BUT--!”

“Chara.

“Please.”

Shaking with fresh tears, Chara takes my hand. "Only for your sake, Judge Sans."

Even as the crowd’s magic heightens in strength, we still manage to hear one last command.

"Papyrus?

"Do your duty.”

Judge Sans receives a whispered, resolute reply.

"To atone for my sins, Judge Sans."

Papyrus pushes Chara and I forward, an object slamming into my chest. Chara grabs it and positions my fingers around the Monado’s hilt.

"I'm sorry I could not drop it in your hand human—“

"It's fine!"

I grip Chara’s left wrist, their left arm extending out behind them. Just as we begin to move, the burning of determination rushes by us, and monsters’ attacks intensify.

The monsters who apprehended Judge Sans can cast magic again.

Bullets clang against Mjolnir's exterior, and the sizzle of yellow magic plays on my tongue. As it grows stronger, stinging the cuts on my body anew, excitement rises in Chara’s soul.

"GO!"

We oblige.

I activate Monado Speed, Chara’s presence guiding me through the crowd.

As we proceed to jump over and sprint through the ensuing riot, Gaster blasters and formations of bones cover our escape, monsters yelling in pain as they make contact.

As we vault into the air, we start as a voice rises behind us.

We are more than relieved to hear it.

• Me? Spare YOU?

*”You defied me.

*”Why should I spare you?

*“I shall defend my title.

*”Even if it kills you!”*

The implications of that promise prove more than sufficient to motivate Chara and I to run out of the Judgment Hall as fast as we can.

Stop the music.

Our footsteps and the beeping of the Monado are drowned out by the hiss of Gaster Blasters and the screeches of monsters foolish enough to try apprehending us. All I know is that at some point, urgency shoots through Chara’s soul and into mine.

-“[STOOOOOOP!]”-

My shoes skid on the gravel, my right hand reaching out under Chara’s power as we wrench open a heavy door. We squeeze inside, a Gaster blaster firing just behind my head, several monsters scattering as its beam emerges into the air. Just as I’m about to reach for the handle and close the door, Chara pushes me forward so my arm is nowhere near it.

It slams shut with a crash.

Monsters pound on it, each blow on the metal punctuated by Gaster blasters, the clattering of bones, and screams. “That wasn’t me—“

“I know—“

“Like seriously the door’s glowing sooooo blue I don’t wanna look at it. I think I’m gonna go blind—“

My left hand squeezes the Monado, activating Monado Speed. We walk forward a few more feet before beginning to descend some stairs.

When we reach the bottom, Chara guides me to the wall beside the stairwell, where I sit down heavily. After Monado Speed wears off, and I catch my breath, they convince me to unequip Mjolnir. They take a bottle of water out of it. “Like can we share—“

“Oh heeeell nooo--!”

“Dude there’s not enough for both of us.

“And seriously we literally just died like... I don’t even wanna know how many times.

“Either we share water bottles and it’s okay ‘cause we don’t live long enough to get STIs or we DOOOOOO live long enough and we get free health care--”

I consider before huffing “Fine.

“But don’t fuck up.”

After I take a sip and cap it, I pass the bottle to Chara. Just as they open it again—

“AAAAAAAH!”

A fleck of water splats against my face.

S-I toooooold yooooooou! You should’ve asked if they wanted help first!-S

T-Oh come on why not do it now? They’ve rested and they’re not dead so---T

E-Okay that joke’s bad even for us. What the fuck happened to your moral fiber?-E

D-Yeeeeeah! He’s right! That’s mean! Even if it IIIIS true!-D

A-Chara’s right: the smart thing’s to share water bottles now and deal with the STIs later.-A

K-Uh guys? Get the lights. Like I know Pauline won’t care but Chara will. It’s only fair.-K

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the original URL for Bone of Patience.
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dcxIjI7pTFE
> 
> Here's the URL for Ace Waters's Megalovania!
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WnDJdwp_Gq8
> 
> Yes: the Second Six Souls are heeere booooys!
> 
> That, and very complicated political/sociological/theological headcanons!
> 
> I tried my very best to not make Touring's and Shakur's viewpoints opposites of each other, because they're not. They're just two different ways of achieving the same goal. That's why I had Shakur point it out. That, and I honestly can't see all monsters seeing technology/science and religion/faith as being opposites, even if they were imprisoned in the early 1700s...
> 
> Yeah: Will saying his parents supported the Gasterocracy turned out to be important after all! That, and the existence of the Inertia Rune/Undyne wearing it on her armor. Let's just say my thought process behind devising the various viewpoints monsters could hold regarding the role of technology/science/religion/faith in their lives is... complicated... I'll write about it in full soon.
> 
> What I can say now without spoilers is that basically everyone thinks Judge Sans deserves his title. The points of contention lie in what role he plays other than representing monsterkind in times of war, judging monsters and humans, and keeping the peace. Some Dreemurrites think he is worthy of worship, and the more extreme Inertia Society members and Inertia Rune bearers think the religious undertones of the Judgment should be removed, seeing as the religions the Judgment is based off of are human-made.
> 
> More on that soon...
> 
> Regardless, yeah: Judge Sans is officially the ruling power in the Underground. Make of that what you will.
> 
> Also be careful what you say... 'cause what's freedom of speech?
> 
> As for the music choices, I chose Bone of Patience because it seems... well... fanatical... in a way Spear of Justice isn't. It's resolute and uncompromising in ways Spear of Justice isn't. The beat reminds me of the sound of boots marching against the floor. In fact, my original idea was that while it plays, Judge Sans would have a much longer outburst than he does here.
> 
> The first phase of Ace Water's Megalovania feels both... determined... and in control, due to being in a higher key than the original Undertale's Megalovania, and having fewer and slower drums. That, and the additional guitar solo near the end and the church organs clinched it for me... because seriously the Judgment Hall is basically a church! The organ is mandatory by Tesla!
> 
> This Megalovania represents Sans setting aside his objections to Chara and my actions and realizing that maintaining order out-prioritizes all else. Judging Papyrus, though important, must wait. In the meantime, he must exercise every ounce of power he has to defend us, and the innocents in the Judgment Hall.
> 
> His greatly-increased power: magical, moral, and political, and control over it, manifest via the higher pitch. The dignity behind his newly-acquired title manifests via the slower, more rhythmic drums and church organ awesomeness.
> 
> Yeah: bad times for everyone, whether they bear the Inertia Rune, the Delta Rune, or neither. If anyone defies him, then... well, as that one famous Undertale comic, "Neutral Route Judgments are Underrated," once said, "GET OUT OF MY CHURCH!"
> 
> I'm curious about your thoughts on Touring's, Shakur's, the spectators', and Judge Sans's courses of action in this chapter, because that could lead to... interesting discussions regarding the common good and morality and other philosophical topics I can't name off the top of my head.
> 
> I'm curious about that, and what you all think of the Second Six Souls officially being characters in Visiontale now.


	44. Chapter 44

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After two months of silence, theory-editing, and movie-watching, I'm back!
> 
> If you want backstory on this chapter, read the endnotes.
> 
> Regardless, here's the key for the dialogue notation from now on.
> 
> S: Simon. T: Tailor. E:Steven. D: David. A: Adam. K: Kari. SA: Simon/Adam. 6[Dialogue]6: All six souls. 6[[Dialogue]]6: Chara's thoughts/the Six Souls. "6[[Dialogue]]6": Chara (verbally/mentally)/the Six Souls.

44

“Wait wait wait what the fuck who the hell are you people!?”

An observant, Shulk-like voice, but missing the vast majority of his British accent. A[Okay. That's good it wasn't a “Whaaat!?” like it usually is--]A

An energetic, peppy voice. T[And she's like, not freaking out in the “Holy shit I'm crazy and I'm hallucinating 'cause I'm slowly bleeding to death!” kind of way so… yeah I'm with you on that one--]T

A slightly high-pitched, reassuring voice. D[But you were right Steven: she still assumed we were people--]D

A chorus of voices: 6[Racist.]6

A… sheepish reply to the snarky banter…

Chara snickering as someone… he?

SIMON.

They're laughing as Simon talks.

A level, male voice: S[Let her rant first. Remember what happened to Tailor when she first woke up? She like… nearly burned me to death!]S

“[Lovely-]“

D[I thought you'd let up on the body horror humor Simon! And you're sposed to be the patient one who doesn't say anything stupid and doesn't act before they think…]D

Chara scoots closer to me on the floor. “Come on. Breathe…”

They pause. “Breeeeeeeathe,” they insist.

I oblige, inhaling and exhaling deeply several times over.

I obey them without hesitation. 

I've grown so accustomed to their presence... guidance... that even now, after I've become aware of how intrusive they have been, I obey them without question.

“KEEEEEEEP breathing…”

I appreciate their efforts to calm me down… but they still fail to shake off the relative calm of everyone else.

Though everyone else’s lack of reactions disconcerts me, I continue breathing.

“Breeeeeeathe… and don't say your life's flashing before your eyes or something 'cause we aaaaaall know that's bullshit--”

[Ugh...]

I groan… and everyone else follows. E[Seriously Chara? You're making us look bad!

E[And besides: that didn't happen to you.

E[And it sure as hell didn't happen to us--]E

How could he...

STEVEN.

How could Steven make such a vivid, candid… haunting observation, completely out of the blue?

He just talked about his and his friends' deaths as casually as I would ramble on about Shulk.

His comments shock me and are almost more of a gut punch than everything Judge Sans has told me.

Almost.

A[Let her be all crazylike for a little longer. Then we'll explain everything.

A[Tastefully.]A

I completely ignore this guy's—

Adam's—

I completely ignore Adam’s weak attempts at being funny.

Almost.

In spite of myself, I snicker for a moment.

A twinge of annoyance filters into the room from Chara. “Fine.” they huff. "Go for it.

“Get all the crazy out… 'cause when that's all over we have a toooooon of explaining to do-"

They've turned their head toward me as opposed to talking to… whoever's in front of us.

A girl giggles. “Fuck off Kari.”

K[Sorry.]K

I collect myself as best I can, following her lead in trying not to remember the obligatory pun…

I fail.

We all fail.

*Loop until the next note.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YIJ3DC2xgAI

… … … “So you guys've been stalking me this whole time?”

“6[Yeh.]6”

K[Basically every time you've made an observation that you never could've made without Chara telling you... or hell most of the time even if they DID tell you—

K[That was us.

K[Every time you would've freaked out but you stayed calm...

K[That was us.

K[Every time you made some crazy observation you freaked out about afterward ‘cause you couldn’t believe you came up with it...

K[That was us.

K[Sometimes.

K[Whenever Chara said something you thought they couldn't have known 'cause they're like... eleven or something... even though they never finished fourth grade...

K[That was us.

K[Most of the time.]K

“When you assumed that the Underground was a different world, not a different place... THAT was them.

“Mostly.”

“So you're like... alive—“

Chara and I being caught off guard by a stinging rebuke. A[We're CONSCIOUS.

A[Not ALIVE.

A[The last time any of us was alive was when Kari got shot by those Edisondamned Dreemurrites in the CORE at the beginning of Kindness 195X.

A[That was like... five-and-a-half-ish surface years ago…?]A

D[So that means the Determination Study started at the beginning of Kindness 196X.]D

“Uh… yeah,” I verify the date. “Huh. Right before Giftmas-“

A[Um, actually it's three weeks BEFOOOOOOORE Giftmas but,,, eh. Who's counting?]A

{[Uh you are...?]}

T[Dude I love how you call it that--]T

“I mean why wouldn't I?”

TK[That's fair.]Tk

K[Aaaaaaanyway… basically the Determination Study started at that time. And as you know the monster testing stage happened at the very end. Like, it started at the end of Determination 199X and ended in the middle of Patience 200X--]K

“Holy shit that's not that long at all!”

K[Yeeeah...

K[Hmmm… they never told you the timetable for everything did they?]K

I don't answer… Kari's… question.

K[I guess that's fair.

K[It wouldn't have mattered that you knew when everything went to shit.

K[Only that you did.]K

None of us need to agree in words.

“So you’ve like, been controlling Chara like how Chara’s been controlling me?”

6[Yeh.

6[It’s more complicated than that but yeh.]6

“So like,” I reply carefully, “you've been down here for almost two surface years?”

6[Mm-hmm]6

Tailor, strangely wistfully. From what little I know about her, she seems... out of character.

T[I keep forgetting about that. That the surface year's longer than the Dreemurrite year. Well technically it's not but... you know what I mean. The only reason we know time's passing's 'cause of the clock on the wall and our computers--]T

“Computers?”

E[What you thought Alphys'd leave us down here without anything to keep us busy?]E

“Uh...”

E[We have everything we need down here: ether to sustain us, our own generators, our computers, privacy partition things, everything.]E

“I mean…” I try wrapping my head around it, “I guess but… still.

“You guys've been down here for almost two years… and you… couldn't--can’t--leave.”

A couple of the Souls confirm my suspicions.

“By Tesla…” I breathe.

S[It could've been worse.

S[It was Adam's idea to stay down here, in stasis.

S['Cause back in the True Lab we talked about what we'd do down here, till Asgore…]S

Delicately: S[“Needed” us.]S

Simon doesn't sound anywhere near his age.

He doesn't sound ten or eleven or... however old he should be, physically or psychologically.

No.

He sounds… terribly old.

He sounds so mature that when he speaks, my heart aches with every word. Every word seems so out of place.

He SHOULDN’T sound like this but… how could he not?

He sounds exactly like how Gaster sounded while recalling his experiences in the Void, or rather, what his experiences were not. Explaining what his life was NOT like back then is infinitely easier than pinning down what it WAS like.

He sounds like Papyrus, while he struggled to describe the nature of the resets, or rather, what they are not.

A[I asked everyone whether they'd wanna be conscious when Asgore... took us outside... to break the Barrier.

A[Whether we'd wanna feel ourselves... melt away... and eat away at it…

A[Whether we'd wanna know what it felt like to… touch… another human's soul. But I guess Chara already knows what that's like.]A

I immediately relate to the Souls' struggle to put their soulological experiences into words. From my discussions with Dewey, and Papyrus's commentary in the Judgment Hall, finding accurate and genuine language to describe any experience involving the soul has eluded everyone for hundreds of years.

Even Gaster, who has had eternities to perfect his eloquent manner of speaking, sometimes describes himself into a corner. Instead, he resorts to projecting a minute portion of his field of knowing toward anyone else in the conversation, for his emotions and thoughts convey what he intended to say more succinctly than any obscure adjective or noun or Latin phrase.

A[Seven someones who haven't been alive in more than three hundred years. Even less alive than us.

A[Whether we wanted to feel the determination in our souls fight to keep us alive… when we haven't really been alive in a long, long time.

A[I'd go into our discussions on whether our desire to live's a thing when we're technically dead already but… ehh.]A

I sit, entranced, as Adam continues to talk. As much as I want to tune him out, I can't. His points are as valid as they are horrifying.

That, and his voice is more monster than human.

His voice has no physical component.

The air around us remains still and doesn't vibrate as the sound waves comprising his voice travel through it to hit my eardrums and stimulate my temporal lobe. Any surface recording equipment in the room would only register silence, save my talking. Surface cameras and microphones would need special filters to pick up and interpret soulological impulses.

The tug of purple magic, and the, unsteady… contact, of Adam's field of knowing against mine, conveys what I need to know.

My unease toward his soul clinging to mine, and his soul remaining in place in spite of it, tells me what I never wanted, but have no choice but to know.

A pair of nervous and completely out of place laughs. S[After a while we realized: we've been through hell together. Monsterkind's understanding of the Barrier and psychophysiology and soulology advanced by leaps and bounds while we were around.

S[If it weren't for us, the Inertia Society'd be much worse off.

S[And besides: we weren't in a hurry to go anywhere. We might as well spend the days, months, years, we had together.]S

He's right.

Should my readiness to agree with his morbid and stark point scare me or reassure me?

S[It'd be just like normal, back in the True Lab.

S[Even the part when everyone stopped talking to us--]S

“How's that anywhere near 'how things were'!?”

Simon replies smoothly… which unnerves me to no end. S['Cause like in the True Lab, we can talk all day without disturbing anyone. We'd turn off our vocal recreation equipment at night. We turned it on just now, when Paps told us you'd be coming down here 'cause we thought it'd be weird for you to talk to us telepathically.

S[That and everyone stopped talking verbally. They didn't have to move their lips while talking to us.

S[We didn't have to. So why should they?

S[They talked to us how monsters used to talk, before the Holistic Integration Movement started: via direct interfacing between souls and fields of knowing.]S

He's not wrong.

I consider his explanation. “Yeah… you're right.”

K[What: no “Whaaaat!?” about Paps contacting us before you got here?]K

I sigh. “Ehh. I don't even know anymore. I mean Sans—“

The Second Six Souls and Chara cut me off: “6[Judge Sans--]6”

“I mean Judge Sans told Papyrus to do his duty,” I correct. “which is like, really vague, so…”

K[Yeah he was talking about us.

K[You know that bugout bag, from a hella long time ago?]K

“You mean the 'if zombies come I grab this and get the fuck out' bag?”

The room erupts with laughter. A[Yeah true.]A

E[Yeah that bag had a phone in it. He called us. Everyone in the Determination Study chose him 'cause… wel… Paps was hated the least.]E

My understanding and resigned sigh surprises no one.

D[No one'd suspect him.

D[And well… we wanted him to do it.

D[If anyone was going to accompany us to our then-inevitable deaths for the greater good we wanted it to be Papyrus.]D

“Lovely.”

D[So yeah: Paps called us as you guys got the fuck out of the Judgment Hall-]D

“How'd you even hear him!? We like, stopped being able to hear stuff almost as soon as we started running! I was scared Pauline wouldn't hear my Monado Art switching cue thingies.”

T[He texted us.]T

A moment of incredulity.

{Are you for real?}

T[You think I'd make that up!?]T

{[... Uh... noooooo...???]}

T]He sent us orders only we’d understand. Not even Judge sans knows them.]T

Stop the music.

The sensation of someone leaning in toward me and lowering their voice, orange magic tingling against the front of my shirt and my face. T[You wanna know what he said?]T

“[{Uh…}]”

T[Aww come on it's not thaaaaat weird.]T

Chara and I aren't convinced.

T[He told us…]T

A deterring “[Nooooo…?]”

T[He toooooold us--]

Both of us, in unison: “{[No no no no nooooooo…]}”

[HE TOOOOOOLD UUUUUUUS…]

Tailor seems to pause for dramatic affect.

I give up on trying to interrupt her.

“{[*defeated sigh…*]}”

I don't even question how she can even take a breath when she doesn't have physical lungs.

I start as she whispers in what sounds like the most gravelly voice she can muster.

T[Hello Adam.

T[I want to play a game.]T

Play until the end of the chapter.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vhSHXGM7kgE

“What the hell-“ I begin to ask, only for several voices to interject.

Chara, in my ear: “Come on. We all know you know what it means.

“We all know you read about the Saw movies in high school.

“It's Jigsaw's catchphrase.”

A[Um, actually it's just one of them…?]A

“One of them."

A[Paps used it 'cause for one: he was with us when we watched the Saw films and compared Judge Sans to Jigsaw--]A

“Whaaaaaaat!?”

S[We'll explain later--]S

“Fuck that I wanna know why nooooow!“

S[Trust me: it's worth the wait.]S

"But—“

T[Even I'd wait on it]T

"Fine..."

A[Second, well… we… this is only relevant for us but not for Paps so…

A[You know how you and Chara got fucked up when Undyne fought you 'cause Chara said you didn't have working eyes for them to control?]A

“yeah…?”

E[And how Chara said that determination can't give you your sight back?]E

“Yeah...? I always thought that was weird...”

D[And how Alphys said that determination's the form of magic based around doing the impossible?]D

“Duh!”

“And how everyone's been saying 'Magic's a matter of degrees?'”

“Why're you guys telling me this stuff? How could I forget?”

S[Well… what if we said that all those things aren't mutually exclusive?

S[It's true that what magic someone casts depends on their life experiences.

S[And yes: determination does the impossible.

S[But we realized.

S[What's “impossible” for each person's different.

S[So each person’ll overcome impossible things differently.]S

I stop dead.

A[Why’d you think defying death is called “loading” a “save file”?

A[It's 'cause everyone who studied determination… and everyone who was determined, knew about games.

A[So when Alphys said magic-induced DMT let us do all the stuff she ASSOCIATED with defying death… it LITERALLY did that.]A

E[As for RPG mechanics being a thing?

E[That's 'cause gaming and magic go together.

E[I mean think about it! The first video games were digital versions of tabletop games like D&D and stuff! And they had magic! And stats!]E

KHow else would magic manifest if stats like HP and AT and DF were what we AAAAAAAALL thought of when we thought about magic?

K[Humans AND monsters?]K

E[Why do you think save points stopped being in set places?

E[It’s ‘cause of you and Xenoblade.

E[Chara’s knowledge of save points came from ChronoTrigger, where they appear in only certain places.

E[You can save wherever you want in Xenoblade.

E[And since you were most determined, you made that real.]E

It doesn't stop.

S[And well… there's also the fact that most of the forms of magic the monsters and us can use are shaped by the experiences of the First Seven Souls.

S[So that's why bravery's fire.

S[And why justice's like, projectiles and stuff.]S

“True.”

Just when I assumed the information has stopped flowing, Chara proves me very, very wrong.

“The more similar a monster or human's experiences are to one of the First Seven Souls, the stronger their magic'll be. And the more similar their magic'll be to theirs.

“Why'd you think Undyne's shields stopped us from moving?”

I am about to answer when Chara literally steals my words out of my mouth, quoting what I would have told them.

“It's 'cause her sense of justice was stronger than her notions of kindness.”

What they say next, I had not inferred, however: “She was more similar to the First Soul of Justice than the First Soul of Kindness, 'cause she thought giving you a shield was FAIR, not KIND.

“And her idea of being 'kind' was helping you to face danger.”

T[And the forms the colors of magic take depend on what the First Seven Souls DIDN'T experience just as much as what they DID experience.

T[If not more so.

T[Like, they didn’t know about teleportation.

T[Teleportation's so rare 'cause only Judge Sans went through the scientific and cultural training that'd let him do it…]T

D[That's why monsters need training to focus their magic. So their conceptions of how something works plays out how they intended. So they know how their concept of how stuff works is affected by the laws of physics.

D[Or not.]D

A[They're-we're-still breaking the laws of physics. But we still have to know about how things USUALLY work.

A[That if someone's grasp of telekinesis defying gravity isn't solid enough their stuff'll fall down when they try to make it float.

A[That no matter how well they know how telekinesis works in Carrie they still have to know what acceleration is, and that acceleration due to gravity's 9.8 m/s^2 or 32 ft/s^2.

A[Or if someone doesn't get that matter can't be created or destroyed… on macroscopic levels… then they won't be able to cast attacks properly. 'Cause they don't know how their attacks will interact with the environment or the reactions they’re replicating by doing it.

A[For monsters knowing literally is half the battle.]A

K[So that's why only Sans has Karmic Retribution--]K

“Heh?”

K[His damage over time.]K

D[And well… his stat dropping thing's… unique as well.

D[That was the first time we saw something like that, even after Chara told us about all the other timelines.]D

“So, he must be REAAAAAALLY similar to the First Soul of Justice…” I muse.

K[Mm-hmm.

K[And since that form of magic's so strong, and he's the only one who has it, we're almost certain the First Soul of Justice had it too.]K

Steven, in a disarmingly gentle voice. E[The Occum’s Razor version’s that every form of magic's based on the experiences of the First Seven Souls in every way.

E[What they KNEW...

E[What they DIDN’T know

E[And what they NEVER could have known.]E

It makes sense.

How did I never consider this?

Gaster even alluded to it, all those months ago, when he exhibited the CORE to me.

E[As for the things they DID know?

E[NO matter what they thought in life they agreed on enough things.

E[Everyone knows that kindness is protecting your own from harm… whatever that is.

E[And that bravery means doing things in the face of danger and when no one else has the courage to act and doing impulsive stuff for the hell of it.

E[They're conflicting ideas but that doesn't matter.

E[What matters is that THEY thought they were all true.

ESo kindness manifests via healing and shields.]E

D[But for Undyne, her concept of justice… tainted… her concept of kindness. SO that's why you couldn't move when using her shield.]D

Kari begins to talk once I've absorbed this information, mimicking Adam and Gaster's… infinite age increase.

K[Justice is… not like that.

K[Even more than magic already is, justice is… subjective.

K[I think it's the most subjective form of magic of all.

K['Cause think about it.

K[Someone's conceptions of justice form from the moment they can understand speech.

K[Everyone they know.

K[Everything they see.

K[Everything they do.

K[Every piece of media they consume…

K[Everything affects them.

K[For humans it's simplistic to say that media affects behavior so directly but…

K[For monsters, whose knowledge of the world inside and outside the Barrier and hell, even how magic works, is shaped by media and human thought processes.

K[So…

K[yeah.]K

How technology affects you... how you affect technology... how you affect technology AND technology affects you...

Technological determinism... the social construction of technology... the social shaping of technology... I've talked with Shakur about the ways technology and everyone who uses it effect each other... or not... for more hours than I ever want to count.

K[So Yeah: Judge Sans and the First Soul of Justice are… pretty damn similar.]K

DA[And Extreme.]DA

K[And extreme.]K

I can't process all the information they're dumping on me fast enough.

What could I even ask at this point that would convey how swamped I feel?

“What's your point?”

S[You remember Roll's cementing pains?]S

We all cringe at the thought of them.

S[And how cementing in a third color of magic only happens if something really important or traumatizing--but mostly traumatizing--happens?]S

I don't even laugh at his strange and or redundant language.

“Yeah...?”

"Cementing pains aren't just physical. For monsters physical pain and psychological pain are the same thing.

"If they feel enough psychological pain it’ll show in their magic. In their attacks AND actions and personalities.

"Cementing in a third color of magic's already really damn painful.”

I silently prompt Chara to go on.

"As for replacing one of the three colors with something else?"

They don't give me time to answer. "That... shakes a monster to their core.”

Do I reaaaaaally want to know why Chara's explaining this in such detail?

I don't.

Of course I don’t!

Still... I WANT to know.

I can’t help it.

S[Well… ever since you showed up Sans's patience magic has been going away.[S

S[It was being replaced with determination.

S[haven't you wondered why he's had no chill over the past few months?]s

I am about to answer when everyone answers for me.

"6[Of course you have.

"6[We aaaaaaall have.]6"

S[That, and his magic's been getting stronger.

S[And 'cause his magic's been getting stronger his emotions’ve been getting more…

S[Extreme.]S

"So his magic changed ‘cause I fell down?”

"Yes and no.

"'Cause you fell down, his… thoughts… on morality and stuff… they...

“CEMENTED themselves.

"And THEN he changed.

“And 'cause HE changed, his magic changed too.”

A[This matters 'cause this explains your most pressing question right now.]A

The seven of them recite: “6[[How Sans got so strong.]]6”

I can't refute them.

I don't bother answering verbally.

Adam starts talking without missing a beat.

A[There're several factors which influence humans' stats. We call them physicality, experience, and psychophysiological state.]A

I inwardly... practically externally... thank Adam for conveying information to me in the only way I know how.

Via lecture.

A[A human only needs a positive psychophysiological state to harness determination and cast magic.

A[That and they need to be in the Underground. Or I suppose for all those people who lifted cars off loved ones or whatever, they need to be geographically near the Underground…

A[And they need the right life experience so defying death manifests via saving and loading.

A[So their physicality doesn't matter.

A[You don't have to see to know how a save file works.

A[You're proof of that.]A

E[For monsters the amount of determination they can handle depends on their physicality.]E

They’ve practiced this.

Considering that they’ve sat down here during all the resets, they must have rehearsed this pitch... explanation... countless times.

D[And their physicality's affected by their magical strength.]D

S[But their magical strength's dependent on their life experiences and their psychophysiological state.]S]

T[But their life experiences and psychophysiological state also influence each other.]T

I've finally composed myself.

It's my turn to drop some bombshells.

“Judge Sans knows about video games 'cause he played ChronoTrigger so he can defy death by saving and loading.

Chara, lucidly. “And Gaster coming back gave him a reason to care.”

“Yeah I guess you're right.

"He had a reason to care.

“So his psychophysiological state got better.

“And 'cause his psychophysiological state got better his magic got stronger.

“And since his magic got stronger he… became… more physical.”

Chara and I, as one voice: “{[So he didn’t melt.]}”

A harsh chorus, magic grating against my body and soul.

6[It was much more than that.

6[Determination's the purest form of magic.

6[The other six forms are… imperfect… forms of determination.]6

Alphys even acknowledged this, when she explained her and Dewey’s interviews with the Second Six Souls, at the beginning of the Determination Study. She made this discovery before they expanded its scope to include monsters.

How could I forget?

How could WE forget?

6[That feeling…

6[Knowing that his choices mattered, 'cause you didn't wanna reset...

6[That boosted his confidence.

6[That, and now, he knows WHY you didn't load during the Great Disclosure Riots.

6[You didn't wanna relive it again.

6[Your fear… it drove him forward.

6[THAT, and his confidence, made him stronger.

6[Which made him more physical.

6[So he became more determined...

6[AND The amount of determination he could hold increased.]6

It makes sense.

It’s... confusing... but it makes sense.

They speak when I’ve finished putting two and two together.

6[So when you walked into the Judgment Hall, he realized you were at his mercy.

6[That, and he FIIIIIIINALLY put his stat increases from the past several months to use.

6[When he saw you, he realized he was so different from how you knew him before…

6[To you, he might'az well be a different monster.

6[The fact he could make you do anything he wanted, 'cause Chara couldn't help you…

6[That must've been enough.

6[THAT… must've pushed him over the edge.

6[THAT… must've given him enough power to save.

6[THAT… is how he was able to override you

6[THAT… must've filled him with determination.]6

“{Holy shit it's a positive feedback loop.}”

“'Cause when you have 1HP, 1 AT, and 1 DF, you can only go up from there.”

An unsteady laugh.

They’re not wrong... mostly...

“You—we--helped him regain the power he would've had if Gaster hadn't died.

“And a shitload more besides.”

Only a moment's reprieve before Steven talks in measured tones.

E[And when he realized Chara was around?

E[That must've spurred him to unlock that stat draining thing.

E['Cause his sense of justice made him think he had the right to determine who was strong and who was weak.

E[Who was right and who was wrong.

E[Who had caused irreparable harm to another, and who had not.

E[Who had gained a lot of Execution Points, and who had not.

E[Who has become worthy of punishment, and who has not.]E

“HE created Execution Points and Levels of Violence.”

Chara, flatly: “Just like how Jigsaw determined who was worthy to live with his traps.

“'Cause when you've watched your friends die hundreds of times at the hands of someone who you didn’t think deserved the power they'd been granted…”

The ether drains from the room. I exhale sharply, gulping for air. In the same moment, Chara and the Second Six Souls struggle to find the words to express their… observations.

After what feels like an eternity of thinking: “6[That'd really get to you.]6”

A[And after all: as we've heard from Chara, most of the time Judge Sans took it upon himself to judg Frisk.]A

[THe got into philosophy and stuff, during the Determination Study.

T[But we thought he was just screwing around--well not exactly but you know what I mean.]T

Fear and… morbid curiosity… on Chara's part. “I never thought he'd go that far… let alone that it'd become part of how he cast magic.

“ON Paps AND us…”

6[No one did.]6

“But if someone's experiences shape how magic works for them…” I think aloud, “and if stuff that the First Seven Souls didn't know about gets lumped in to how magic works…

“Then…

“Then…”

EK[“Yes.

EK[“You are right.

EK[“Judge Sans filled a hole in the First Seven Souls' conceptions of magic.

EK[“And because HE created them, HE determined how they work.

EK[“He still is.”]EK

“So Paps was right.

Mostly.

“It's crazy but…

“Well none of us can really say that anything’s crazy anymore can we?”

Chara concludes frankly, “”Right now, anyone who hurts an Inertia Society member’s gaining Execution Points and Levels of Violence.

“AND any Inertia Society member who thinks his beliefs are antiquated and the only way to fix things is to tear down the Judgment Hall...

“And taking it out on everyone by attacking him, OR anyone else?

“They’re ALSO gaining Execution Points and Levels of Violence.”

Flatly: “HIS concepts of morality determine who gains them or not.”

Flatly: “And how much someone's stats increase when they hurt someone.”

Flatly: “And how distanced they become when they hurt someone.

“And how much damage they take... how much pain they feel... when he casts Karmic Retribution on them.”

I cut to the heart of the issue: “So everyone's guilty.”

“6[[Yes.]]6”

Heavily: E[And his… INTEGRITY… won't let him stop till everyone's been brought to justice.]E

K[Till order's been restored.]K

S[Till it's safe for you guys to meet Asgore.]S

K[He's making up for all the control over his life he lost when Gaster died…

K[When we started falling down here…

K[When the Determination Study went wrong…

K[When he found out about the resets…

K[When he lost control of his emotions and cast Karmic Retribution on Paps that first time--]K

But magic comes from emotion--“

T[Not exactly.

T[Remember what Paps said?

T[Motives AND emotions power magic.

T[Motives determine HOW that magic's cast.

T[And emotions determine how strong that magic'll be.

T[And yes we know it's hypocritical that he's letting his emotions control him when the reason he's doing it's 'cause of his emotions overruling him before but...

T[That's just how it is with monsters.]T

S[You might've caught on to this or not but… control of someone's emotions isn't really a virtue for monsters.

S[Not even in the Inertia Society.

D[Hell when Gaster and Dewey started opening Inertia Society-run schools they had to tell everyone that they weren't… stunting… them magically.

D['Cause at the time everyone thought only emotions were the key to harnessing magic.

D[It took a loooot of work to convince everyone that someone's life experiences affect how they cast magic too.]D

K[His Karmic Retribution?

K[His stat draining?

K[His… disabling… other monsters' magic?

K[That's motivated by JUSTICE.

K[NOT determination.

K[He's making up for when Chara started making us fall down here.

K[Or rather, when Chara changed the Barrier so it’d... find... people like them.

K[People like Frisk.

K[People Chara wanted to be.

K[People Chara wanted Frisk to be

K[People they thought Frisk would be, if they’d stayed together.

K[His sense of justice is what's driving his magic, not his determination. His determination only directly gave him the power to save.

K[His determination’s allowing him to cast his magic in this form because no one knows how emotions or the soul truly work. It’s making up for his lack of knowledge.]K

I do not notice that I am bent forward so far my forehead touches the concrete floor, and my body lies prone before the Second Six Souls until Kari finishes speaking.

Even as I do this, I also continue sitting upright as before.

I do not move from my position, or even gasp in surprise, as I realize that I am merely experiencing what Chara is experiencing.

Their slow, labored, deliberate movements as they stretch their body out, completely prone on the concrete floor...

The coarse concrete branding their skin...

Their ragged breathing and racing heart...

The... burning sensation... of their sins crawling on their back.

Their muttered verbal and soulological apologies and explanations and… prayers… to only Tesla knew who.

I should not know who they were referring to, but I did.

It is much too late for me to take that knowledge back.

I knew.

Everyone knew.

[Please forgive me, Judge Sans.

[I know you know why.

[The Second Six Souls.

[I broke their every bone.

[I lashed them till their flesh tore from their bodies.

[I ran them through again and again, even while they lacked the strength to stand.

[I walked them to their executions.

[I brought them here.]

Their voice breaks, but their soul remains steady and firm.

[I do not hide from my guilt.

[Instead, I wish to repent.

[Instead, I wish to atone for my sins.

[I stand before you so you may weigh my deeds against your morals, which you have refined after centuries of enlightenment, of suffering, of pain.

[You bore every moment alone.

[I give my body mind and soul in service to you Judge Sans, because that is all I can give.]

Is Chara praying?

Even though they must have been exposed to Undyne’s parents’ beliefs, they don’t seem like the religious type--

NO.

They’re merely stating the truth.

THEIR truth.

The truth for the current situation.

They’re stating THEIR feelings, and THEIR hopes, and THEIR dreams.

They’re stating their feelings, and their hopes, and their dreams, but they’re doing so in the only way that seems right as of now.

To them, the Judge is more than a representation of monsterkind adapting to the times.

To them, the Judge is more than just a tortured soul, who taps into their suffering by measuring others’ hardships against their own.

To them, the Judge is more than monsterkind’s mouthpiece and collective consciousness and unconscious in one body, speaking and acting because no one else has the right to speak and act on behalf of the whole.

NO.

To them, the Judge is a friend.

An exceedingly powerful, jaded, and seemingly-distant friend... but a friend.

Chara wants to know what Judge Sans thinks of them, even after all they have done, even after his outburst, in the most official way possible.

They may not agree with the system, but they must comply with it, at least this one time, to affirm that they agree with its use now. To affirm that they understand why Judge Sans has taken his current measures, that they are a necessary evil--

No.

They’re trying to make him happy.

Even after he has killed them only Monado knows how many times... even after they have discovered the extreme lengths he would take to protect his people... even after they have learned how he developed his extreme view on morality... even after he has hurt me...

Chara still wants to make him happy.

Acknowledging his hardship and how it has made him stronger than everyone else... admitting that he, indeed, is the only one who has the right to determine what is moral and what is not among monsterkind... having to open their eyes to a reality where he is in such a position of absolute power...

Realizing that they are very much responsible for making him how he is today...

If that will make Judge Sans happy, then why should they not do it?

[When the issue of the Third Seven Souls has been resolved, I, Chara Trigger Dreemurr, consent to being judged.

[I, Chara Trigger Dreemurr, consent to being judged for my every action.

[I, Chara Trigger Dreemurr, consent to being judged for every Execution Point I have earned.

[And you, Sans Wingdings Gaster, shall be my judge.]

A silence where the weight of yellow magic on Chara’s soul bears down on them.

An eternity passes before the weight of that yellow magic lifts, replaced by the gentle pressure of blue magic on their head and shoulders.

They rise, several gentle breaths filling the room.

Simon reassures them… or is he trying to keep all of us calm?

S[Judge Sans will fight to the last health point before loading his save file.

S[He might have no chill, but he has no chill ‘cause he's protecting us. ‘Cause right now, the six of us are in as much danger as you.]S

D[Uh, and Chara?]D

They don’t reply.

D[He can hear you.

D[I can feel it.

D[He’s here, even if he’s not talking.

T[He wouldn’t leave you guys down here if he couldn’t see you.]T

Anime-esque enthusiasm that I never could be more glad to hear: T[You'll get this sorted out.

T[I just know it!]T

Equally upbeat snark: T[Buuuuut, he has the safety of monsterkind to worry about right now.

T[I'd know, 'cause he just made the most serious pun about providing for the common defense I’ve ever heard in my life.]T

“Seriously?”

T[You think I’d make that up!?]T

No one answers.

A[And before you ask no he won't like, invade your soul or something.

A[We have no choice but to have our souls open to him 'cause like… all we have are souls.]A

“[True.]”

EThat, and 'cause he knows you better than you know yourselves. He wants to make sure you're not having tooooooo much of a nervous breakdown.]E

“[Lovely.]”

K[That, and Judicial security.]K

“That’s what they’re calling it now?”

A[The Undernet is. And Undermail. And Mettaton.]A

S[So yeah: all we have to do is wait.]S

“Wait for what?”

An unwelcome silence after the flurry of explanations everyone has been throwing my way, filled by the not-too-distant metallic taste of yellow magic on my tongue, the welcome grip of blue magic on my body, and the rhythmic pulsing of determination down my spine.

“6[[We'll know.

“6[[We're sure of it.]]6”

Stop the music.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the uRL to Justice extended, composed by Master Sword and My New Soundtrack for undertale Yellow.
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YIJ3DC2xgAI
> 
> Here's Hello Zepp, the main theme for the first Saw film, which has been remixed for every Saw film since.
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vhSHXGM7kgE
> 
> Yeh! The Second Six Souls are here! It's taken me soooo looong to write this chapter because of fall quarter finals, Giftmas vacation, audio drama craziness, and beginning the winter quarter. That, and the backstory in this chapter's... complicated...
> 
> Long story short: by explaining that the experiences of the First Seven souls determined how magic worked, which includes what they had not gone through, I filled a plot hole that's bothered me for a loooong time. When I had Gaster explain that the FSS' experiences allowed monsterkind to access our Internet, it didn't occur to me at the time that I could apply that principle to the concepts associated with each color of magic.
> 
> The same goes for how I figured out determination doing the impossible and Chara being unable to block Undyne's spears for me aren't mutually-exclusive. I don't know how to see. I haven't been able to see since preschool. That experience wouldn't have helped me. Chara couldn't have used their life experiences to block the spears because what we saw and we considered important while we saw differed.
> 
> As for which concepts were associated with each color of magic, and what motivates magic being cast? That's why I said a looong time ago that the color pie for Magic: the Gathering would be important. TLDR: each of the five colors of magic are associated with both stereotypically-positive and negative concepts. I reasoned that the seven colors of magic in Undertale would follow a similar principle. I realized that Magic's system would have appealed to monsterkind for this reason. Therefore, Magic: the Gathering also shaped how magic works in the Underground, or at least, it provided a model for understanding how it works.
> 
> In short: a motive is bound to a color of magic. That color is the strongest. The color or colors those motives power, if they're not the same, are lower on the hierarchy.
> 
> An example: poison damage can manifest as purple or yellow magic. The motivation of the caster determines which form it takes, as well as their damage output, physical/psychophysiological effects, etc. Judge Sans happens to cast poison damage, AKA Karmic Retribution, using justice as a catalyst. Determination allows someone to cast a form of magic of any color without knowing the intricacies of the environment where they're casting it, but it manifests in a form based on their experiences.
> 
> As for comparing judge Sans to Jigsaw? Let's just say that when Jigsaw came out in October 2017, I remembered how I compared Papyrus to Jigsaw in Chapter 8. I even told him about it. I realized that his concept of morality, boiling it down to tangible, physical concepts... his life-changing experiences... he would have empathized with Jigsaw. Maybe, he would have known about him, because of Adam. That, and I watched all the Saw films except the last one because the seven of them were going to leave Netflix in January 2018...
> 
> Yeah: Execution Points and Levels of Violence are even more controversial than I've already made them out to be because they are bound to... polarizing... concepts of morality! Specifically, I realized Judge Sans holds Kantian morals: a good deed is only good if it's done out of good will and no other motive. That's how everyone can accrue EXP.
> 
> As for Justice and Hello Zepp? I used them because they happened to fit their respective moods very nicely. The fact that I enjoy them both doesn't hurt either.
> 
> Next chapter, if all goes well, I will finally reach one of the final plot points from Undertale itself, and it will progress in mostly the same way as in the game.
> 
> I just realized how long it's been since that's happened...
> 
> Don't be surprised if it takes another two months for me to update, because I haven't thought through this moment as much as I would like. That, and I will have to write narration befitting yet another remix exclusive to this AU, a remix that I have only grown to enjoy relative recently, meaning at the end of the summer of 2017.
> 
> At least, I already have an idea of some of the dialogue Chara and Judge Sans will say.
> 
> [*A strange light fills the room.
> 
> [*Twilight is shining through the Barrier.
> 
> [*It seems your journey is finally over.
> 
> [*You are filled with...
> 
> [*DETERMINATION.*]


	45. Chapter 45

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As of this chapter, Visiontale's surpassed 200,000 words.
> 
> I can't believe it.
> 
> That, and we're about to reach a plot point in Undertale itself.
> 
> It's about time...
> 
> If you want to read about my music choice for this chapter, and other miscellaneous thoughts about what happened in it, read the endnotes.

45

… … … "So he beat the ever-living shit out of them?"

"Well they were still alive at the end but… yeah.

“I think he would've killed them, if he could. But he just cemented himself in blue magic. He didn't even know what he did till I told him."

"But still thaaaaat's why you—we--almost killed Jerry?"

"He—they--there were three of them--they didn't look like Jerry…

"It was close enough.

“They attacked me not too far from there, on ground level.

“Ehh.”

My shoulders move slightly as I sense Chara shrugging. “Nothing good’s ever come out of me being around Jerry. In ANY timeline.”

They make a disgusted sound.

"Sans tricked them, into letting their guards down.

"He asked them to spare him.

“'Cause they were mad at ME.

“Not him.

"It was ME they wanted to hurt.

“Not him."

"And he attacked them when they said yes?"

"Mm-hmm.

"He had his hands out in front of him already, so it wasn’t that hard to pull off.”

A harsh laugh. "It was like those action movies. You wouldn't have known monsters were physically weak then.”

Matter-of-factly: “He struck that Aaron.

“That Aaron flew into a wall, face-first.

“That Aaron’s two Woshua henchmen—henchmonsters? Minions—they got their faces slammed into that wall till they couldn't stand."

With every word, blue magic grips at my soul, squeezing it slightly. My body rocks back and forth with every pulse which settles over us.

I wince. Chara soon follows.

Despite our discomfort, it doesn't stop.

E[That's not me I can't cast magic on you guys. Not like this. It'd take too much effort.]E

I know.

I'm not surprised.

“What happened to YOU!?”

"Sans suspended me behind him and above his head.

“'Cause if they wanted me, they'd have to go through him."

“Mmm.”

I nod.

I don't understand why I nodded.

I didn't intend to nod.

A[You didn't mean to nod.

A[But HE did.

A[‘Cause he's here too.

A[Remember?

A[For monsters a strong soulological presence's exactly the same as two humans being in the same room.]A

He’s right. Even after my months of learning, the idea that a monster can be… in a room, without actually being… IN, a room, bothers me.

"Gaster was sooooo mad when he found out.

"He got soooo maaad he nearly recked Reed and Wrighte on TV—“

“Holy shit!”

“He nearly attacked Asgore on TV—“

“Holy shit!”

"That was the first time I saw the Gaster blasters.”

S[But it wasn’t the first time the UNDERGROUND saw the Gaster blasters.

S[That was… a loooooong time ago.]S

“I didn’t even know Gaster could use yellow magic.”

“I didn’t either—“

“So thaaaaat’s where Judge Sans got it from?”

“Maybe.”

An awkward silence.

"You cemented Judge Sans in integrity?"

"Mm-hmm.

"AND determination.

"I made him, Pauline.

"We both did.

"All eight—

“No.

“Frisk did too.

“They never met him in this timeline. But he saw the Frisks I helped in the other timelines. And he saw me interact with them indirectly, using his machine.”

{6[“You’re right…”]6}

“WE made him. The NINE of us did."

Their statement weighs on us for a while. In the silence, I swear I hear—

No.

I feel it.

The air, my body, mind, and soul, vibrate with a reply.

A magical reply.

Therefore, I perceive it as a voice.

*Correct.*

Resentment and… regret…? That’s not my own, or Chara’s.

We all shudder. Mjolnir rattles behind me. Yellow magic crackles against my skin.

S[No no no no you can’t do this you need to focus on what’s OUT THERE—not IN HERE!]S

T[True!]T

E[I know I’m not in a position to say this but you have to calm down Judge Sans! You can’t waste any more magic on us!]E

The resentment fades from our souls. We breathe a little harder than before. We wait several more seconds for the yellow magic to fade.

Eventually, it does… hesitantly.

"And besides: the only way he could've killed them was if he went all Scanners on them—"

The Second Six Souls and I "Euuuuw!" and "Oooooh!" in both disgust and morbid excitement.

A[Believe it or not how psychic powers work in movies like Carrie’s pretty close to how magic’s cast—mechanically not causally.

A[Scanners got it aaaaaaall wrong.

A[Carrie like, uses her hands to control her telekinesis. Hell maybe movies and books where characters cast magic with their hands influenced monsters’ experiences so they’d do it like that too.]A

E[Papyrus did it, during your fight, as an example. It wasn't as, uh, elegant, as Carrie's but... ehh: whatever works.]E

T[And you know shit just got real when you don't have to use your hands at all.

T[We'd know, 'cause that's how it is in the Judgment Hall right now. Judge Sans doesn't have to use his hands to control his magic anymore. 'Cause that's how it was, during your... uh...]T

A frustrated noise. T[Fuck I don't know what to call it.]T

I ponder her problem for a few moments, where all I can think to say is "Yeeeeah..." in agreement.

Everyone else follows suit.

K[But Tailor's right. Judge Sans only needs soulological awareness to cast magic now.]K

She says in wonder, K[The Dual Awareness Principle of soulology at its finest.]K

I don’t have to ask her to elaborate.

I’ve experienced her observation all too well.

K[He doesn't even need to "see" something to cast magic on it first, 'cause if he doesn't know what to do or what something looks like he just has to stat check everyone till he finds someone who does—]K

"But that's like hella shady!"

S[Trust me Chara: we know.

S[You're right. It IS shady.

S[Soulological privacy is—]S

A[WAS—]A

S[WAS a right under the DREEMURRITE government.

S[But not here.

S[Not right now.

S[Not under the Judiciary.

S['Cause if Judge Sans had to choose between Inertia Society extremists and Dreemmurrite extremists hiding out in Temmie Village knowing they couldn't be tracked or stat checking everyone...]S

Simon doesn't have to tell me which option he chose.

As if responding to what he said, my water bottle rises a few inches off the floor before bobbing up and down in midair. It lands gently in the same spot again after a few seconds.

{[Jesus!]}

Some oments pass before everyone—

Only Kari and Steven start laughing.

Everyone else… makes weirded out and disconcerted noises.

EK[Duuuude!]EK

E[How'd that scare you you guys've felt worse!]E

[{"Seriously!?"}]

K[You guys reeeaaaaally need to chill—]K

{“Fuck you man.”}

A[Ehh. I’ve heard worse. Simon called me a Republican one time. We didn’t talk for a week…]A

… … … "But where the hell would we even--!?"

A soft whining sound plays from in front of us. After a moment, a squishy surface presses against my fingertips.

I don't move.

D[There's your answer.]D

I still don't move.

Not even Chara moves.

We sit there, uncertainly, until blue magic loosely surrounds my hands, guiding them along the surface. I reach out, palms gently pressing into a memory foam matress.

We shudder slightly in surprise.

"There's a cot down here?"

T[Yeah. The Inertia Society's used it before. Knock yourselves out.]T

Blue magic guides me into position on the cot as Chara settles down beside me.

I don’t need the guidance, but I don’t object either.

I don't even feel weirded out about sleeping in regular clothes.

“What time is it?”

6[Uh…]6

D[We don’t know. The clocks down here’re acting weird. The time zone keeps changing a lot.

D[But… I thiiiiiink you’ve been down here for a couple—a few--hours.

D[And based on the fact that you left Hotland in the morning California time, it’s… probably afternoon there.]D

A[Just wake up when you wanna wake up. By the looks of things we’ll be down here for a while ‘cause it’s a clusterfuck up there.]A

I grab the nearest pillow, turning on my stomach. Chara scoots closer until our arms touch.

In my ear: [“I know it's probly not my place to say this but...

["Knowing that that there's something in this world you have control over... fills you with determination—"]

I jerk away from them. "Wait hold up!"

Exasperation and snark: [“I'm not talking about you.”]

My body and soul vibrate, the thrumming of magic ringing in my ears. The space around us seems to... reshape itself.

The deep thrumming of determination vibrates through my soul.

Blue magic holds it in place, first containing, then stopping the vibration.

Yellow magic crackles against and around me.

Chara and I recoil from the contact.

Is that what it felt like, when I saved?

No.

This is... worse?

No.

This is different.

More focused.

More concentrated.

STRONGER.

MUCH stronger.

In spite of everything, it doesn't take long for us to fall asleep.

Maybe, I only hear what comes next because of my position directly below the Second Six Souls. I’m submerged in all six of their fields of knowing, after all.

I hear Judge Sans' reply to Chara's statement.

*Sleep well.

*All of you.

*File saved.

*HP fully restored.*

… … … We don’t so much smell the change as hear it.

6[GUUUUUYS!

6[WAAAAAKE UUUUUP!

6[BAAAAACOOOOON!]6

*Incoherent mumbling*

{[Heh?]}

Overly loud sass: T[YOU HEARD ME!]T

Chara pulls the blanket off of me as they readjust positions. “Whaaa? Hooow…?”

A… crackling bacon-filled… silence…?

[“Jesus by Faraday’s lisp how the hell are you cooking bacon down here!”]

Green magic skirts my body and soul. David laughs. D[I made sure Tailor didn’t burn you to death!]D

Our excitement at eating real food diminishes a little. “[{Lovely}]”

K[But seriously though Grillby just boxed us some bacon so—your welcome.]K

{[“Duuuuude Grillby thoooooooough!!!”]}

K[I know right?]K

E[From the reports Undermail’s putting out he’s putting in work. At least, the reports from a couple hours ago said so—the Undernet’s down—mostly.]E

“Wow.

“Well Mettaplier said that me or Gaster’d break the Undernet—“

T[Well get over here and eat. We can’t eat this sooooo--]T

{[“”Waaaaaaiiiiit yeeeaaaaah you’re riiiight!”]}

[{RIP…}]

Adam can’t stop laughing.

{Dude how’re you choking you don’t even have lungs!}

We return to our positions from before, our backs against the wall by the stairs, as Steven serves the bacon.

[“Seeing the Second Six Souls happy…

[“And that Grillby has instilled some sense of normalcy, ‘cause bacon…

[“Fills you with determination.

[“And hunger.

[“But mostly determination.”]

6[{“Uh…”}]6

I almost hear the wobbly beeping sound of Judge Sans saving his save file, such concentrated magic courses through the room. I shudder again… but almost immediately stop as a piece of bacon pushes against my lips.

“duuuude!”

[“It’s me don’t worry.”]

“Stiiiill!”

A[[“Just eat the damn bacon.”]]A

{[Fuck you Adam.]}

… … … “They’ve gotta be pretty important then—“

6[Uh… yeeeeaaaah…]6

D[We don’t know who they are. And that’s saying something ‘cause we think we know everyone. But they’ll be here soon.]D

“But why?”

E[‘Cause Reed and Wrighte can’t do it. They wooooooooould do it, but they’re doing badass journalist things right now.]E

[“Hmm…”]

E[Seriously though it’s fucking amazing! I wish the Undernet’t work so you could watch the feed they’re broadcasting cause they’re amazing!]E

Chara pokes my thigh as they sit down, back from the bathroom. “I still can’t believe there’s a bathroom down here—“

T[Hey dude we couldn’t either but there is so… yeah! Lucky for you guys. I think Toriel got it built ‘cause of you and they meant to have you and Azzie use it or something but--]T

A knock on the door.

We freeze.

{Not again!}

From outside: “Hello Adam.

“I want to play a game.”

[{That’s still creepy—}]

T[Just open the damn door.]T

Chara and I oblige.

I wait a few seconds as the monster walks inside. The door shuts itself behind them—him. He doesn’t waste any time.

“Hi. I’m Bob.”

I don’t know what to say.

“Hi Bob.”

“Judge Sans sent me here to tell all of you what’s been happening. He deemed this section of New Home safe enough for me to come so, that’s why I’m here.

“Well, he deemed it safe an hour ago, but he waited until you were awake.”

{[“Yeeeeaaaaah…”]}

I can’t wrap my head around the discrepancy between Bob’s somewhat deep voice and his name.

It takes a few moments for us to reply.

“Okay that’s fair.”

We walk downstairs and sit in our usual spots. Bob sits in front of us.

“Suffice to say it’s not as chaotic as you might think up there.”

We begin to sigh with relief before Bob cuts us off.

“But make no mistake: it’s still bad.”

His soul tenses. {[Another story time…]}

“He’s halted the belts in Hotland and the CORE’s completely locked down.”

“Well we were there when he said to do that so—“

“Trust me: just getting everyone to follow THOSE orders was… a handful.

“And everyone in Hotland’s been told to shelter in place. The elevators to New Home are completely shut off. Judge Sans decides who to teleport up there.”

S[Oh by Tesla it’s like a dictatorship going into crazy security measures mode all over again!]S

“It gets worse.”

6[[{Should’ve guessed.}]]6

He continues without missing a beat. “Snowdin’s magic has been almost completely cut off—“

6[[{“Whaaaaaat!?”}]]6

“Don’t worry: vital services are still working well enough. Just the vast majority of residences are without lights and heat. But the businesses are in somewhat better shape.”

We sigh in relief. Bob doesn’t stop us this time.

“New Home is mostly normal. There’s just restricted magic consumption and a curfew. And no one can go into the Dreemurr District without a complete soulological scan.”

“The Dreemurr District?”

“The part of New Home with Asgore’s house, the Judgment Hall, etc—“

“And before you ask? Yeah: Asgore named it—“

“I knew that much…”

“Just making sure…”

I poke Chara.

They poke me back.

Bob waits until we’ve finished poking each other.

“The Ruins are relatively quiet. Some of the unaligned—non-Inertia Rune, non extremist Delta Rune bearers—Royal Guards are watching the exit.”

Bob leans toward us. “Chara? You’ll be happy to know Glen’s leading them—“

[“Eh!”]

Bob laughs. “He just cemented himself in orange magic an hour ago—“

6[[{“Eh!”}]]6

The Second Six Souls exchange excited banter for a little while. Bob waits until they’ve finished.

Waterfall is in the worst shape.”

We stop dead.

“After several rounds of questioning Judge Sans has determined that Inertia Society and Dreemurrite extremists have used Waterfall’s restrictions on magitronic devices to plan the riots you’ve experienced during your stay in secret. Every single one.

“And… several more besides.”

Bob sighs. “Even my fellow Temmies participated in planning and executing them. They can be a little…”

Delicately: “Exciteable.”

Chara [“Mmms”] in agreement.

{Temmies?}

“Boat use is being strictly monitored. Only certain groups are allowed to move through the Underground. And Judge Sans determines who takes who, where they can go, and by what route, to minimize contact between possible… insurgents.

“This is partially because the purple magic-induced wires running through Waterfall have been badly damaged—“

6[[{“Holy shit!”}]]6

“--and even as we speak Hotland’s magic consumption will be reduced within the hour, so all the extra can be directed toward Waterfall for emergency services.”

Adam steals my questions out of my mouth.

A[How!?

A[How’s this even!?

A[How’s like, the Purge not happened or something?

A[Even more than it already has!?]A

A prompt reply: “Trust me: it IS happening. At least in Waterfall. And some isolated parts of Snowdin and New Home.

“Some monsters think that now that the normal procedure for the Judgment has been completely overturned, they have the right to cause chaos.

“To riot.

“To steal.

“To vandalize property.

“To make death threats against Asgore and the Judiciary.

“To try carrying out those threats.

“To attack Inertia Society and Dreemurrite monsters alike.

“Today, monsters have done all these things and more.”

His voice breaks. “I… I never thought I’d see monsters lose control like this.

“Not again.

“The last time was… was decades ago.

“When you fell down, Chara.”

We wait for him to compose his thoughts.

Bob catches us completely off guard as he begins laughing heartily.

“Some monsters think they’re above consequences.

“However… I disagree.

“Or more accurately, JUDGE SANS disagrees.

“Put simply: right now, he’s wielding the power inherent to the title of Judge.

He’s using it how it was meant to be used.

“In times of crisis.

“In a situation where the lives and safety of monsters are threatened.

“When monsterkind is at war.

“There is a reason monsters sought solace in the Judge’s power: magical, moral, and political.

“It’s because the Judge was meant to be monsterkind’s last defense, in case anyone ever pushed us that far.”

“But he said—“

Bob replies simply: “You assumed only HUMANS could spur the Judge to take power.”

He’s right.

“You’re not the first to argue that his position’s undeserved in these circumstances either.”

He’s… not wrong about that…

“Monsters have tried to… PERSUADE him… of that, plenty of times already.

“All of them have met the same fate.”

We prepare for the worst.

“He’s told them THIS.”

“Within the Judgment Hall, the current judge holds absolute power.” He quotes.

{I thiiiink I get it…?}

[You probably do.

[No fuck that you DO get it. I’m the one who’s confused.]

“And yes: he has left the Judgment Hall since you came down here. He’s had to.

“But he didn’t leave the Judgment Hall until he made a certain decree.

And if his first rebuttal doesn’t work, he cites that decree.”

Bob takes a breath. “Until—“

before he can continue, he gasps in surprise.

Blue and yellow magic and determinations surge around us.

I-we—completely forgot he was here.

Our souls shake with the weight of Judge Sans’ words.

*Until Asgore has made his choice, I shall hold the title of Judge.

*I shall act as such.

*You shall treat me as such.

*I shall enact bad times as such.*

Flashes of magic emit from Chara’s soul in excitement. [What did I tell you? He knows his stuff.

[You might think he’s being… authoritarian… right now… but monsterkind needs someone like him, to… discipline them.

“Like what Simon said: monsters have no chill ‘cause they don’t value emotional self-control. They’d… they’d do anything they wanted, if they could.”

“Mmm.”

“But still.”

[“I expected as much.”]

Chara receives an… amused… chuckle in reply.

Everyone except Chara shudders profusely.

Including Bob.

**Play until the end of the chapter. Listen to the first four seconds or so, then start reading.**

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W7z49VNt3IM

… … … “It’s safe for you to leave now.”

Bob sighs. “And not an execution too soon.

“I’ll come with you, to see Asgore. So Judge Sans has a pair of eyes on the ground. In case the livestream breaks.

“Or it gets sabotaged.

“Or in case he has to redirect the power from our servers for… other purposes.

“Only Tesla knows what’ll happen now.”

I place my newly-filled water bottle in my dimensional box. Adam’s nervous purple magic rakes across Mjolnir, checking it one last time. A[Everything’s fixed. Judge Sans must’ve repaired it while we all slept. It’s like new. Better even.]A

My cane leaves my hand and taps my leg. E[You won’t need your cane. Just leave it here. It doesn’t matter where.

E[We’ll… we’ll clean up when you leave.]E

I shake slightly as Steven’s soul softly bumps against mine. He sounds on the verge of tears.

E[It’s an easy walk. Just leave this room and walk along the left wall. And keep walking that way till Chara tells you to stop.]E

“Okay.”

I cycle through the Monado Arts and perform my training regimen one last time, everyone cheering as each art activates. When finished, I set it at my left side.

David’s green magic brushes my cheeks and forehead. D[Your HP’s back to eighty-five. Yours and Chara’s. You guys’s AT’s back at thirty-five and your DF’s back at twenty-eight.]D

K[I mean I couldn’t see him letting them keep those stat buffs anyway.]K

E[[True.]]E

T[But remember: Asgore’ll most likely be holding back. Or weakened soulologically. Or both. Take advantage of that. And even if he is holding back and soulologically weak his stats are reeeeaaaally high so… give it all you have.]T

D[And even if you do get hurt you have healing items and he doesn’t. You have Chara’s strength to draw on if you need it. It’ll…

D[It’ll make it go by faster.]D

E[He at least deserves that. It beats some random Frisk poking him to death with one of Toriel’s worn daggers.]E

[“Mm-hmm.”]

S[But take your time getting there. You’ve waited almost six Judiciary months for this. What’s a few minutes—or hell an hour—gonna do?]S

I turn around and start walking toward the stairs, holding onto Chara’s left elbow. Bob pads beside us.

A[And you guys? It’s not cowardly to take advantage of the Monado Arts. It’s smart. Hell your smarts got you here!]A

“But I also had Chara and you guys—“

A[Not for all of it.

A[You figured out the date.

A[You absorbed all that info about the Determination Study. Not us. We couldn’t... really help you there.

A[Actually we… didn’t really want to help you there.

A[You stayed at Toriel’s house for the longest out of all of us. Even longer than me!

A[Give yourself some credit dude.]A

“Yeah I guess.”

I slowly walk up the stairs.

D[I know it’s gonna sound cruel but… I think the best thing you can do is kill Asgore. Or at least hurt him till he can’t fight anymore.

D[‘Cause Asgore didn’t make sure Waterfall was secure. He took the Royal Guard on their word.]D

K[You’re serving the Judiciary by doing this.

K[And if that doesn’t convince you, think about it this way.

K[Didn’t John Locke say that if a ruler didn’t do their job the people had the right to overthrow them? And replace them with rulers who actually gave a shit about them?]K

{“Weird time to be giving me sophomore year of high school history flashbacks but yeeeeaaaah, I gueeeeess…?”}

K[You’re making that happen.

K[Even if Asgore doesn’t die this’ll still send a message. That there needs to be a check on his power.

K[Whether that’s a ballot box or Judge Sans’ Gaster blasters is up to him.]K

I reach the door.

E[I know it feels wrong.

E[To go against what everyone on the surface has said.

E[About violence not being the answer.

E[But think about it like this: if Asgore doesn’t listen, you’re not breaking a moral code or anything.

E[You’re just upholding the principles Gaster wrote in the Unified Theory Papers, in the Amended Second Directive.

E[To break the Barrier with minimal loss of human life.

E[Gaster hoped this wouldn’t happen. But he prepared you for it.

E[You’re just following his orders.

E[They’re not the set of orders he’d like you to follow but…]E

Steven doesn’t have to finish.

I leave the basement, pushing the door shut behind me. I begin to walk the path Steven described.

Simon calls out as I stop feeling the shade of the left wall of the basement over my head.

S[You’ve weighed all your options.

S[You’ve prepared yourself in every way: physically, mentally, soulologically, morally.

S[You’ve realized the consequences of your actions.

S[Good and bad.

S[For you and for everyone else.

S[But you’ve waited long enough.

S[You have to act now.

S[But still: in battle, you have to be patient.]S

The shadow of an arch looms over my head and blocks out the sun. We pass underneath it.

T[Bravery isn’t just beating up a bad guy or standing up for someone who’s too scared to speak for themselves.

T[It’s knowing when to act when no one else does.

T[And following through on it.

T[Even if you don’t know exactly what to do in the moment.]T

I stop walking as soft dirt squishes underfoot. The delicate, sweet scent of… of…

Of plants—

No.

Flowers—

I’m smelling flowers.

We stop for a moment to appreciate the smell.

It’s been soooooo long since I’ve smelled a real flower.

T[Hell that’s how it’s been for you the whole time!

T[But you kept working at it.

T[Even when you were scared, you stuck with it.

T[And even when you did chicken out at least you admitted you fucked up. Even if it took a while. And even if you didn’t admit all of it was wrong.

TStill, it was a brave thing to do, to listen to Chara’s advice when it mattered.]T

I mull over Tailor’s words of wisdom.

Chara nudges me slightly.

I’ve mulled over Tailor’s words of wisdom for a little longer than I expected, apparently.

We continue walking through the garden.

E[You might not have as much integrity as a saint…

E[You might’ve contradicted yourself—hell we aaaaaaaall know you did. A lot.

E[You might’ve done things which go against what you learned on the surface… and not felt sorry about it…

E[You might think you don’t have enough moral fiber for this…

E[But you have enough.

E[Gaster knew that much.

E[And that’s all you need.]E

The dirt path hardens and becomes concrete or stone again. Our strides become springier, longer, and more decisive than the last. I let go of Chara’s arm for a moment to re-initialize the flow of magic to the Third Seven Souls, safe in their dimensional box.

D[Being kind and being nice aren’t the same thing, you know.

D[Just because you’re kind doesn’t mean you’re a whimp.

D[I mean look at Undyne!]D

We laugh.

D[It just means you do what’s best for people.

D[Even if it seems wrong in the moment.

D[It’ll work out in the end.

D[Even if they don’t follow through on what you’ve done, you still did a service to them. Or tried to.

D[But it only counts if you did it to reeeeaaally help them and not for some reward.

D[In this life, or the next.]D

A torent of magic hits us, but we remain standing.

{“We’re at the Barrier.”}

[“Almost.”]

We continue to walk, in spite of the magic pushing and tugging and lifting and restraining my body.

It’s the First Seven Souls.

Chara slows down.

I slow down.

“I’ll watch you from here.” Bob whispers in my ear. “Good luck.”

Chara and I leave him behind and continue walking forward, slower now.

A[I shouldn’t have to tell you this but I’ll tell you anyway.

A[The Asgore fight’s gonna be long.

A[Whether it lasts a minute or an hour you have to persevere.

A[You know why?]A

I don’t know how to answer.

The other Souls don’t know how to answer.

Chara doesn’t know how to answer.

Even Judge Sans is lost for words.

A[Because you’ve reached the endgame.]A

We stop walking.

A[You’ve finished all the sidequests you wanted to do.

A[You finished grinding for all those items you’ve been hearing about since the beginning of the game.

A[And obtained them.

A[You’ve figured out what strategy you’re gonna use.

A[You’ve reconciled with the fact that you’re probably never gonna go back to any of the areas you visited ever again.

A[The final boss is right in front of you.

A[Time to apply what you’ve learned.

A[Time to make Gaster proud.]A

Someone gasps in front of us.

“No.

“I thought they were lying to me.

“I can’t believe my eyes.

“My child?”

I run my hand over the enabler button, my fingers landing on a depressed button to the left of it. I press it, releasing the seven containers holding the Third Seven Souls from their dimensional box. They land beside us on the stone floor with seven sharp bangs, one after another.

Even though we have no idea of what to say, Chara and I speak as one, as if we have been preparing to give this speech for our entire lives.

In Chara’s case, they speak as if they’ve been preparing for this moment for decades, just like when Gaster first introduced himself to me, so long ago.

[“{You have one chance to step aside.

[“{We won’t let you imprison the Second Six Souls any longer.

[“{Simon, Tailor, Steven, David, Adam, and Kari deserve so much better.

[“{Don’t get us wrong.

[“{Monsterkind deserves someone like you.

[“{But they deserve someone better.

[“{Much better.}”]

As we continue to speak, Kari dispenses their own advice.

K[What is FAIR and what is JUST aren’t the same thing.

K[You know this.

K[Not everyone will think this is fair.

K[But everyone can agree that confronting those in power on behalf of the people…

K[Airing their grievances…

K[Speaking and acting on behalf of those who don’t even have a voice…

K[They can all agree that THAT… is justice.

K[You may not think you’re acting justly, but trust us: you are.

K[I swear, by Judge Sans’s eye glow of dooooooom, that you’re doing what is just.]K

[“{On behalf of Judge Sans Wingdings Gaster, the Inertia Society, and all monsterkind, we present the Third Seven Souls, for the purpose of fulfilling the Amended second directive of the Unified Theory Papers.

[“{To break the Barrier without any further loss of human life.

[“{Accept them, and you will be spared.

[“{This is your final warning.

[“{Stand against us, and you stand against Judge Sans.]”}

Asgore’s breathing hitches. His soul shakes in front of us.

Even so, he doesn’t walk over to the Third Seven Souls.

“Chara…

“Please.

“You don’t have to do this.”

Chara releases themselves from my grip.

[“Dad.

[“I’m sorry.

[“I really am.

[“But if we don’t do this, someone else will.”

They step forward. I follow their lead. They struggle to remain composed.

[“You’re killing a blind person!

[“You’re killing Gaster’s student!”]

They seem on the verge of tears.

[“You’re killing my friend.”

Even I can see the shame written on Asgore’s face.

Even I can see his head bend low, and his hand fall to his lower back.

The monado appears in my left hand.

When I grip it, I don’t feel its reassuring ridges and smoothness against my palm or between my fingers.

No.

I feel the cylindrical grip of a trident.

A magical trident.

The light blue and orange magic from its points rush down my arm and through my whole being, granting me strength, even as my past deeds weigh on my shoulders, literally and figuratively. 

Chara steps to my left side and lays their right hand on top of my left hand, so we grip the Monado’s hilt together.

The sensation of Chara’s hand on mine, my hand on the Monado, and my shared experience of Asgore gripping his weapon doesn’t even phase me anymore.

Only now does the advice from the Second Six Souls hit me.

As it does, the magic cast on me from the Barrier seems to vanish.

Chara’s soul envelops mine.

I welcome it.

Hand-in-hand, soul-in-soul, we take a step toward Asgore.

**Stop the music.**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah: Judge Sans is in power now. To all the Asgore-as-competent-ruler fans? I'm sorry. I'm considering writing a story about his experiences reigning in the clusterfuck which is the post-Judgment Underground but... ehh: that'll come later.
> 
> Here's the link to The Night Before the Decisive Battle, from the Xenoblade Chronicles OST.
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W7z49VNt3IM
> 
> I wanted a song which conveyed the importance and enormity of my confrontation with Asgore. I also wanted a song that conveyed the right amount of melancholy. The Night Before the Decisive Battle conveys those emotions perfectly. The fact that the same notes repeat over and over, but that those notes always climb higher and higher… it makes you feel like you’re accomplishing something… and yet, that you’re not forgetting where you came from, because each sequence starts on the same note. It took me a while to realize that I should use it, but when I did... the ending sequence where the Second Six Souls encourage me just... came together.
> 
> Yes: the Temmies are anarchists/extremists/terrorists, depending on who you ask. Let's just say that earlier on in my planning, they were meant to appear earlier, where Touring appears. Temmies were meant to try to bomb the Judgment Hall at that point, not her. It started out as a joke, but... I made it work, somehow.
> 
> I can't believe I found a way to fit Temmies into this timeline but... it happened.
> 
> Asgore?
> 
> Let's do this.


	46. Chapter 46

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I ended up finishing and posting this chapter three-odd weeks after I said I'd post it. Suffice to say, if I had worked more diligently, I could have released it sooner but... colleg happened. That, and having a hard time describing the Asgore fight.
> 
> Regardless, I am proud to say that Visiontale has officially met and surpassed yet another in-game milestone.
> 
> If you want to red about my struggles writing this chapter, read the endnotes.

46

Hand-in-hand, soul-in-soul, Chara and I take a step toward Asgore.

Then another…

Then another…

Then another.

I can’t bring myself to do it.

I have prepared for this moment for only Tesla knows how long. I overcame my loathing of exercise for the most part, just for his sake. You’re like a skinnier and nerdier version of me now, Undyne called it. Chara even learned Super Smash Brothers terminology, just so they could help me. We even both grumble about why Shulk mains had an abbreviation for everything.

I slept for five hours a night for a month, just so I could cram everything I wanted to do into each day, not knowing when I’d have to face him.

I have left many vestiges of my surface life behind. I have learned to recognize humans and monsters by their ethergraphs. By the time Toriel moved in to the Inertia Society headquarters, I had learned to use my computer and phone with the soulological interfaces rather than typing by hand. Hooking into a CAD&CAD machine and deducing the amount of determination I need to channel into it to create an object is second nature to me now.

I have abandoned many marks of status and seniority: my education, my wealth, my technology… even my age.

I have to keep reminding myself of what month and day it is on the surface, and that if I had never fallen down, I would have been enjoying the summer before my sophomore year of college.

I’ve even faced the reality of my own death… and the “good” it will supposedly do for Asgore's people.

At least, I've tried.

Through all that, Chara had no choice but to tag along, watching me interact with the humans and monsters they knew so well, befriended, and yes, betrayed, in their near-infinite past lives.

Despite the fact that I have devoted one month—

No.

We have essentially spent our entire time in the Underground together preparing for this moment, Chara and I.

Even as I recall Alphys’s insistance that initiative would be one of my few advantages against Asgore, and that I shouldn’t throw it away, I can’t bring myself to make the first move.

I can’t bring myself to attack first.

Luckily, Chara, the Second Six Souls, and Judge Sans all understand my hesitation. Instead of forcing me to move any closer, Chara lets go of my hand. They gradually manipulate my body so my knees are bent slightly, shoulder-width apart, right hand gripping my controller, my left curled securely around the Monado.

After I settle into this fighting stance, one that I have performed countless times over the past month, Chara and Judge Sans slowly speak in unison, mentally and aloud.

I am almost certain that Chara has said this—

No.

They have.

They HAVE said this countless times before.

To Frisk.

The only question is how does Judge Sans know it?

I suppose it’s only fair that he knows it: he has seen the contents of our souls, after all.

That, and he’s here, in every way but in the flesh—in the bones?

It doesn’t matter now.

They speak with one voice, as if they have said this a thousand times before.

**Play until the next note.**

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6EX-4mz5WuY

[*”A strange light fills the room.

[*”Twilight is shining through the Barrier.

[*”It seems your journey is finally over.

[*”You are filled with…

[*”Determination.”*]

My grip around my weapons tightens and becomes more… firm. My back straightens, and my shoulders square. My head tilts upward as from their place next to me, Chara looks up at Asgore and speaks softly, but resolutely.

[“Dad?

[“I’m so happy I got to see you again.

[“But I can’t let the Judiciary down.

["And Pauline doesn’t deserve to die.

[“I've known her for too long to give up on her now.

["She deserves better.

[“I’m sorry.”]

A stretched-out moment which seems to last an eternity.

I wait for the perfect moment to release the tension built up in my body and soul. We welcome and dread when that moment finally comes.

A magic-filled wind rushes by my face, and for a moment, we panic.

At least, until my training takes hold of me, just as Gaster said it would.

In one swift motion, I drop my arms to my sides, withdraw my shoulders closer to my body, and take a step back, making myself a smaller target.

Asgore made the first move after all.

He… swung his trident.

I erect a field of light blue magic around Chara and I as a precautionary measure to give me time to activate Speed Art. I tell myself, and Chara tells me: {[This is a match of Super Smash Brothers.]}

As strange as this sounds, this mantra calms us down. Yes: Smash doesn't involve real pain, but the base premise is the same. It’s a matter of learning patterns, and deducing how those patterns interact with me, and interfere with my patterns. Reading your opponent, predicting their behavior, and exploiting their psychological state, while resisting their attempts at doing the same to you.

Somehow, Chara mirrors my movements, though they lack Speed Art's buffs.

With a pang, I remember they’re not—

[I have Azzie's locket. Remember? It doesn't have as much defense as Mjolnir but, it's good enough.]

The determination emitting from Chara brushes against my body and soul. The ground vibrates ever so slightly with their every step. Either that, or I register their every step as if it were a memory of my own, tredding the same path.

That’s why they’re so close to me.

They are trying to remain in the area of effect of Speed Art so they can reap its benefits.

As promised, it doesn’t take long for me to decipher Asgore’s fighting style. Gaster was right: his magic is focused far more on power than precision.

[And remember: I’ve fought Asgore through Frisk more times than I can count.

[This isn’t new to me.

[You’re the new part]

When my first activation of Monado Speed times out, I switch to Jump art, noting that Asgore can’t stop moving fast enough to avoid taking damage from the light blue magic around me.

[Switch to orange magic—you should start doing damage to him. For real this time.]

I oblige.

Sixteen seconds of us vaulting high over Asgore's attacks. Even Chara manages to do so. We occasionally graze the ambient magic surrounding Asgore's trident. I take some damage, but not enough to concern me.

As for chara? Not so much.

{You need to heal soon.}

Jump art wears off as I touch the ground again. Based on the input I receive from Chara's soul, I know that we’ve landed to one side of Asgore.

We face the side of his body opposite to his trident.

[He's open!]

I thrust the Monado forward, toward Asgore’s side. It meets some resistance, then vibrates in my hand.

It hit him… or at least, the magic projecting out of the Monado’s blade hit him.

I didn’t hit him hard, but that doesn’t matter.

I landed my first attack.

I landed my first real attack, not produced by area-of-effect magic or projectiles.

I can’t help but feel proud of myself.

Chara, the Second Six Souls, and Judge Sans can’t help but feel proud as well, to varying extents, in their own ways.

Chara backpeddles hurriedly as Asgore whirls around on his heel to face us. The whoosh of his trident sounds far too close for comfort.

I switch to Speed art again, and with their guidance, back away several feet, punctuating my footsteps with Gaster blasters. Each one ticks down his HP ever so slightly.

This instance of using Speed art seems to occur according to plan. I just have to avoid his trident, and tick down his health with projectiles. It’ll take a while to pull off, but—

At least, Chara and I assume our plan is working until Asgore switches tactics.

The air grows hot with magic nearby. The urge to run, regardless of where, the urge to move, even if it’s ill-advised, overwhelms me. Every twitch of my limbs causes my body to shake roughly. My hand and feet move far too much, much more than I intend to move them.

{It’s orange magic.}

Asgore can use orange magic… or is it fire magic?

In this case, orange magic and fire magic are not one in the same.

I back away, light blue magic arcing from the Monado’s tip and forming a protective field around Chara and I. Chara debriefs me. [Just follow my lead okay?]

{Okay.}

Magic swirls around us, alternating between intense heat and biting cold, producing jerky and sluggish movements in quick succession.

{[Yeah.

{[That’s light blue magic.]}

Chara calls out in a high, clear voice: ["Orange, orange, blue. Blue."]

I grasp their orders immediately: {That’s his attack pattern.

{He’s casting magic on his trident now. For real this time.

{But why is it so telegraphed?}

Again, Chara calls out: ["Orange, blue, orange, blue."]

I stop mid-stride as Chara quickly says [His eyes flash with the color of magic he’s gonna use.]

Chara shouts for a third time: ["Blue, blue, orange. Blue."]

[He can’t help it. He's not precise enough to do it without any tells.]

{or—}

In unison: {He thinks I can’t see the color.}

[He thinks you can't see the color.]

{Yeah!}

[You’re right—]

Chara interrupts themselves: [Orange, orange, blue, orange.]

The column of orange magic surrounding and projecting out of Asgore’s trident whooshes past my body and warms the surface of Mjolnir. I may not have used magic as long as anyone else, but even I can sense where it begins and ends. I enter the midst of the orange magic and run along its trajectory, away from Asgore. On a whim, I swipe the Monado behind me in the hopes that it will bat the trident away and give me—us—some space.

It works.

Somehow.

We’re all a little more than surprised.

After a couple more sequences of orange and light blue magic, we assume I’m safe, because I’ve learned how Asgore fights: he channels magic through his trident, like what I do with—

Mid-stride, determination grips my body and soul.

Chara has taken control of me… but why?

Scortching heat, only marginally dulled by Mjolnir, fills the air in front of me.

That’s a fireball.

I jump backward as a fireball speeds toward my face.

It turns out we were wrong.

Very wrong.

Again.

The fireballs reign down around us, so I have to activate the green magic I’ve been loaned several times, just to avoid taking severe damage. However, even so, Asgore depletes my HP several chunks at a time, one after the other.

I’m at forty-one HP out of eighty-five now. Chara is much worse: thirty-four out of eighty-five.

This is… much lower than we’d like.

[Activate Shield art and your green magic so we can heal!]

They don’t have to tell me twice.

I oblige.

Chara steps close, tapping their knuckles against Mjolnir’s left side. As the green magic erects a green barrier around us, the Monado begins floating in front of me. Because Mjolnir’s magic conforms to my intensions, my determination is converted to blue magic, which is cast on the Monado, Freeing up my hands so I can heal. Reassured that it’s nearby and within reach, I reach my hands into my dimensional box, a pair of Legendary Heros appearing between my fingers. Chara takes one of the healing items from me, and inside Mjolnir, I touch the Monado-shaped sandwich to my lips and tongue, about to bite out of it.

It leaves my hand and vanishes almost instantly.

Despite the fact that I’ve eaten monster food for just over five Dreemurrite months, I am still confused about how I was able to eat it when I didn’t feel it touch the inside of my mouth and throat at all.

I shake myself. I shouldn’t question it.

Not yet anyway.

[You ate the Legendary Hero. You recover forty HP. Your attack increased by four.]

{Eh!}

[Well don’t stand there let’s go!]

We compose ourselves before I orient myself so I face the fluctuating magic emanating from Asgore’s soul. He’s at… 3600 HP out of 3500: not as low as we hoped, but it could be much worse. At least we’ve managed to damage him at all.

It seems like it’s about time that I take advantage of those attack buffs.

Ensuring that my green magic and Shield Art are deactivated, I raise the Monado, switching to Buster art. I spawn Gaster blasters around us in a loose dome. Without Chara’s guidance, I slash the Monado in front of me, wondering whether it will connect or not.

A tremor runs through me as Asgore’s trident clangs against the Monado.

Asgore parried my attack.

{[“Shit!”]}

After several tense seconds of sparring, Chara and I come to a realization around the same time. One prediction of Gaster’s is officially wrong: he assumed that after a few minutes, Asgore’s attack and defense would drop, due to his emotional state, due to his frankly horrible state of mind. Having to kill a blind person would do that to anyone. Him… Papyrus… Sans… their entire strategy, and my entire training regimen, revolved around this fact.

They were wrong: Asgore still has eighty AT and 80 DF.

Alphys was right: he IS strong.

Even so, though my grip on the Monado feels shakier than before, it doesn’t fall from my hand.

Asgore isn’t determined enough to take the Monado from me.

Considering what Chara and I have gone through, it’s no wonder that this fact, morbid as it is, boosts our confidence.

When Buster art ends, I switch to Speed art, Chara's control of my movements becoming more nuanced. My swings become faster and less uncertain. I allow my soulological conditioning to guide me, so I can sense the general pattern of Asgore's attacks. I gather just enough information to assess whether to perry his attack or back away. Chara takes care of the specifics. The strength channeled into every swing is all my own.

Asgore parries the Monado once.

Twice.

Thrice.

[Quice? Frice?]

{That’s not even a word!}

[Welp. Won't have to use it again anyways…]

On the fifth attempt, we finally see success. My arm and body swish past Asgore’s trident. The monado, which I suppose belongs to Chara and myself now, rings against metal.

{Asgore’s wearing armor.}

[Well duh!]

In the next moment, as I back away from Asgore again, he gasps. His magic dips in intensity.

Chara and I both feel it.

I damaged Asgore, both his armor and the magic emanating from him comprising his soul.

I failed to penetrate his armor, but I still dealt enough damage to him to bypass its magical and physical defenses.

I chunked off a hundred HP from him… and Buster art isn’t even activated anymore.

Earlier, when I hit him, I dealt 20 damage.

{He’s… weakening a little.}

[more like a lot. Look at his stats.]

I do.

80 attack, 77 defense.

{That defense drop made THAT big of a difference?}

We continue to clash weapons, Chara helping me activate my green magic to act as a shield when I can’t swing the Monado fast enough to perry. It seems to last for hours. We manage to cram a couple more Legendary Heroes down between swings. I don't manage to hit Asgore’s armor again.

He’s gotten my pattern down now.

{He just won’t stop.

{Even though his stats are going down… he won’t stop.}

Eventually, I grow tired enough that using the Monado as a hand-to-hand weapon becomes detrimental.

[It’s too dangerous for you to fight hand-to-hand. We were too reckless! You—we—need to heal!]

I shudder as Asgore’s trident slams into Mjolnir, pain spreading across my ribs on my right side.

{Good plan.}

I activate Shield art and my green magic, but afterward, Chara takes control of my hand so I press down the trigger for yellow magic. We press the trigger down again and again, until Gaster blasters surround us on all sides, all of them aimed outward, forming a protective radius around us. They form a wall standing as tall as us, and then some.

If Asgore comes within a five-foot radius of us, he’ll take massive damage.

Massive damage he can’t block… because each Gaster blaster does negligible damage by itself.

[You don’t have that much food left.]

{Yeah I know.}

The Gaster blasters fire several times as Asgore tries to overpower them with his fire magic. They dissipate his attacks before they reach us.

As Gaster and Papyrus planned.

[How about you eat the Instant Noodles to top off your HP?]

{Yeah sure but how 'bout you? You like, have… uh… fucking Jesus you have only 25 HP left!}

[I’ll drink a Sea Tea. I need the caffeine—or whatever Sea Tea is anyway.]

[You can—]

{But I don’t need it I have Speed! You need the healing!}

I mash the trigger button on my controller, Gaster blasters appearing to replace the ones which have faded away. Chara considers my suggestion.

[Yeah give me those!]

I oblige.

I’m relieved… and also disconcerted… that we actually have time to physically eat and drink all our healing items this time.

Asgore’s reactions are slowing down, and his maximum defense has dropped to seventy, from seventy-seven a couple minutes ago. He has only seventy attack now, when his maximum attack earlier was eighty.

Chara has forty-five out of eighty-five HP. I have maximum HP again.

All we have left is the pie.

Only when a surge of energy flows through me,, Chara announces that I’m at full health again, and that their speed has increased, do I realize how weak and demoralized we have felt over the past…

I don't even know how long we've been fighting Asgore hand-to-hand, let alone how long we’ve been fighting him overall.

Well, I guess that’s not true any more.

[He’s at low HP! Well it’s not low—he’s like… at less than fifty percent HP right now—but stiiiiill! His stats are going down by the second! You got this! I know you can do the rest by yourself!]

Chara’s right: Asgore has about 2200 HP out of 3500 now… and dropping, because of the few remaining Gaster blasters.

[He’s really slow now. That doesn’t mean he’s weak but still he’s not as strong as before.]

Chara mentally jabs me in the ribs with their elbow. [Come on I know you’re not deaf yet!

[Go for it! You’re almost there!]

I wonder for a second how Chara has lost so much HP over the course of the fight. The locket has twenty defense, which, considering its size, is definitely impressive, and they have countless timelines of experience to guide them.

In this moment, several sensations and thoughts rush into my mind: the heat of Asgore’s fireballs, missing me, but burning Chara. The ambient magic around Asgore’s trident racking Chara’s soul, as they continue to stand in its path, even as I jump or sidestep it. The shock of Chara’s feet hitting the ground after jumping at least ten feet in the air while under the effects of Jump Art, without the benefit of Mjolnir’s protection and shock absorbtion.

{Noooooo…}

When dodging Asgore’s fireballs or his magic, they guided me so I would take minimal damage, even if it was at their own expense.

Especially if it was at their own expense.

Not even the fact that Chara’s giving me moral support to help me beat up their adopted father can overshadow their behavior.

They consider my safety more important than their familial ties to Asgore.

I shake myself… or rather, the Second Six Souls all reprimand me, in their own unique ways, all at once.

I can’t hesitate any longer.

In one motion, I activate Speed art, closing the distance between Asgore and myself. I slash the Monado, accompanying each strike with bursts of orange or light blue magic, to deter Asgore from coming any closer. Between alternating bursts of orange and light blue magic, I rapidly toggle my green magic on and off, to shield us from his attacks and give us time to reposition ourselves.

Chara’s right: he is slower. He’s not completely exhausted yet, not by any means, but I can feel it. His soul… the magic surrounding it is less vibrant than before. It grows dimmer by the second.

I continue attacking.

1800 out of 3500.

1700 out of 3500.

1600 out of 3500…

Then everyone screams at me, verbally and mentally. In particular, the conviction in Chara’s and Judge Sans’s voices stuns me… but not for long.

[*6[“Time for a chain attack!”]6*]

They don’t have to tell me twice.

I unload everything I have on Asgore: Gaster blasters surround us and fire in a constant stream. Orange magic surrounds the Monado as I activate Buster art, hopefully for the last time. Even when Asgore parries my attacks, I sense his HP decreasing, and his magic fading. I don’t even bother dodging as often anymore: Edisondamn it if I get hit now. I still have the Pie left. Now, I actually have time to eat it properly. Hell my attack is higher than when I started, and not just from the two Legendary Heroes I’ve eaten.

My base attack has increased to forty from thirty-five… just over the course of this one fight, and Chara’s defense has risen from twenty-eight to thirty-three.

Asgore only has his stamina to keep him going now, and even that fades with each passing moment.

1000 out of 3500.

900 out of 3500.

800 out of 3500.

700 out of 3500.

[“We can definitely do this!”]

I allow myself a twinge of pride: Chara’s Shulk impression has improved immensely since we first met.

While controlling my body, I allow Chara to activate my orange magic again and switch into Jump Art.

We vault high over Asgore’s head.

As we reach the top of our jump, Chara screams, verbally and mentally.

[“NOOOOOW!”]

I seem to hang in midair for an instant as I cancel Jump art and switch into Smash art for the first time this entire fight.

Who knows? Mjolnir’s magic responds to my thoughts… and I suppose, Chara’s thoughts as well. If we want to hang in midair for a second, then by Faraday’s lisp, it will happen.

We plummet toward the ground.

We scream as I drive my body into Asgore’s backplate, and the pommel of the Monado into the back of Asgore’s helmet.

They give under my weight. Somehow, I’ve managed to dent them both.

In what sounds and feels like slow motion, Asgore pitches forward in front of me. I hear the heavy thud of Asgore’s trident hitting the dirt… a surprisingly-large distance away.

Asgore finally falls to his knees… which is when I finally register how much HP he has left.

425 out of 3500.

**stop the music.**

*Play until the next note.*

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cGBMTAGzWPs

As Asgore’s armor and body fall before us, and my blade, carving a ditch into the dirt, a set of footsteps rushes across the room, and a voice calls out to us.

A voice that I never thought I’d hear again, let alone here.

A voice that makes Chara… and the Second Six Souls… quiver with excitement.

“Stop!

“Haven't you done enough?

"I implore both of you to stop!"

I start in surprise.

Knees bent, Monado still raised, I stand stock-still. None of us can believe our ears, even if some of the beings spectating on the fight don't have any.

Chara's and the Second Six Souls' excitement reach a fever pitch. They can't stand still any longer.

[6[“MOOOOOOOOOM!”]6]

Chara seems completely reinvigorated as they run around me--

Blue and purple and orange magic bloom to life around Chara, hurling them through the air toward and… in to Toriel.

S[Toriel! Even I think we’ve waited too long to see you again.]S

T[If I could run up there and hug you I totally would!]T

E[Usually me and Adam and Simon are the calm ones but… seriously I can’t believe I’m seeing you again!]E

D[Now you know how we took good care of Pauline and Chara. I’m the one who made bacon for them.

D[Your welcome.]D

A[You know how everyone says smart people don’t have a soul, or don’t follow their emotions?

A[Even I think it’d be smart to listen to them now.]A

K[It’s just sooooo unfair that we can’t be up there for ourselves. But who knows? Thanks to Pauline and Chara… we might be able to see you ourselves really soon]K

She doesn't seem to mind that Chara has rammed into her and nearly bowled her over… and that the Second Six Souls continue to talk simultaneously. She helps Chara stand up straight before stabilizing herself.

Once they're both settled, she wraps Chara in a firm hug. “So it is true: you have been guiding Pauline ever since Gaster brought here to our timeline, my child.”

[“Mm-hmm.”]

“That is a tremendous responsibility to place on a child’s shoulders. Even if you have lived thousands of lives across as many timelines. To me you are still a child. And placing someone’s life in your hands like that…”

[“The Six Souls helped me.”]

A light, genuinely-childlike laugh. [“’Cause when Pauline first landed in the Ruins and I was telling her what the first puzzle looked like Adam said my descriptions sucked.”]

I can’t help but start snickering… then outright laughing. Everyone else follows suit.

K[I mean it was more like you didn’t know the important bits to describe. That’s not your fault.]K

[“Yeah but stiiiiill!”]

“Adam! How could you expect Chara to do well at something they’ve never done!?”

Adam’s cocky act vanishes under Toriel’s scrutiny. A[Oh come on mom Chara sucked reaaaally baaad!]A

As everyone talks, green magic washes over Chara, probing at their wounds, lingering over the cuts and burns and bruises. After healing Chara’s physical wounds, the green magic penetrates deeper, until it thinly covers Chara’s soul, repairing the damage wrought by the various magical attacks they have endured over the course of the day. With each patch of broken skin healed, every clot of blood vanished, every point of HP restored, Chara and I sigh in relief. The Second Six Souls chatter animatedly amongst themselves, and eventually, they begin recounting their blow--by-blow commentary of the fight… until Kari begs everyone to calm down.

A[But like, as I was saying: they like, didn’t know how to say where things were! And they didn’t tell Pauline Sans was a skeleton so she like… cussed at him! The first thing she said to him was “Fuck!”]A

Everyone laughs. Among all of us, Toriel laughs the hardest, to our collective surprise. Our laughter abruptly ends as Kari reprimands harshly: K[Adam. Don’t talk about Pauline like that. It’s disrespectful. Even if it is true.

K[Considering what’s happened to her and Chara, that’s the last thing she needs to be reminded of.]K

Firmly: K[And remember: Pauline’s not the only one who has to be treated with respect around here now.]K

{Kari why are you…?}

Chara doesn’t answer, but as Kari finishes, I tilt my head upward. I assume that Chara made me do it. I cock my head to the side, as if… as if listening for something.

Someone.

A thankfully quiet moment as Adam composes himself: A[What I mean is, is that even with all seven of us helping we struggled really hard. It probly made things worse a lot of the time.]A he corrects nervously.

A[I’m sorry Pauline. I shouldn’t have brought that up. Eve if it did actually happen, I shouldn’t be joking about that. Sans—]A

[“Judge Sans—“]

{Chaaaaara?

{Why are you correcting him?}

A[Judge Sans—he was—you were—only the second monster Pauline actually talked to after all. It’d make sense that she’d freak out.]A

{Adam?

{Why are you stumbling over your words like that? Even I know that’s not normal.}

[Same. And it seems like this isn’t the first time either.

[Something must’ve happened while we were asleep…]

{[What happened to you guys?]}

"Pauline, I am sorry for startling you earlier. I should have told you to come here as soon as I arrived. But please: come here so I can heal you.”

{“You think I wouldn’t?”}

[“Hey don’t sass my mom!”]

6[Yeah don’t sass our mom!]6

With the gentle touch of Toriel’s green magic against my body and soul to guide me, I begin walking over to her under my own power.

“Both of you are in dire need of treatment. Pauline? The healing items we gifted you were only meant to sustain YOU for the duration of the battle. We never could have known—“

She stops

“No.

“I never could have known Chara was there. It is more than likely that the Gasters and the Curies knew. When I was consulting everyone about your training regimen, I worked off the assumption that you would require an amount and strength of healing items sufficient for one person.”

Chara makes room for me in their hug when I reach Toriel.

She takes several deep breaths. "But I digress. This is not the time to be talking about this.

“I cannot overstate how relieved I am to know you are safe, my child."

A light, bewildered laugh. “Or I suppose it would be more accurate to say my children now!”

“{True.}”

6[Awwww!w]6

I scoot slightly closer to Toriel. Significantly muffled, she continues: “Though I am unsure of whether I should feel reassured or disturbed that you and Chara were able to apply your soulological training so…

“Well not necessarily easily. Readily seems much more appropriate.

“You must have felt so afraid, my children."

["It could've been worse.”]

I stop in my tracks. Not even Chara is this… tactless.

[“'Cause if I panicked, Pauline wouldn't have stood a chance."]

{Okay I was wrong. Thank Tesla.}

It’s not a lack of tact: it’s just the truth.

[“Even with all her training pauline wouldn't have been skilled enough to fight Asgore in a fair fight. I would’ve told her to spam Jump! And Speed! and spam the Gaster Blasters and camp really hard, if it weren’t for the time limits on them.”]

Green magic passes through Mjolnir. as Toriel heals my bruises, I grunt as her magic runs over my ribs.

Toriel sighs. "Yes. That is true. In hindsight I should have advocated for that strategy, during Determination. It would have saved both of you dozens of Health Points lost and injuries incurred.”

"Mm-hmm."

6[Mm-hmm.]6

A little more firmly than before: “But still: you did exactly what Gaster and Alphys told you to do. Their tactics worked as well as they could have, considering your… condition. Physically and psychophysiologically.”

Her words drip with worry: “But why Chara? Standing in the path of so many attacks—“

Chara’s sleeve brushes against the side of Mjolnir. When Chara next speaks, they seem above me, near my shoulder height. Toriel must have picked them up.

[What’d you think I was gonna do?]

We all flinch at the harshness in Chara’s tone.

[I’m not stupid. There was no point in me not taking any damage if pauline ran out of HP.

[I had to stay close to her to leech off the Monado Arts’ buffs. I had to be fast enough and tanky enough to give her accurate directions.

[The Monado Arts let me see everything. From her point of view.]

Their harshness dissolves in an instant: [If I didn’t, both of us would’ve gotten hurt.

[Really badly.]

*Stop the music.**

They laugh a little. [“And besides: I would’ve let the Judiciary down if I let that happen.

[“And if she got hurt a little more than she did he would’ve killed me]

The Six Souls and Toriel laugh… and not because Chara’s remark is particularly funny.

No.

They are uneasy laughs and nervous laughs.

{Seriously what the fuck happened while we were asleep!?}

We all take several moments to process this information.

{Holy shit I was right: Chara you did take a bullet for me. Lots of times.}

Toriel, seemingly to herself: “Alphys, Gaster, Dewey… I never should have doubted you. The three of you are experts in your fields for a reason.

"Or more precisely, I never should have doubted Judge Sans. He led the research and development on Mjolnir’s construction, after all. And that experience has definitely served him well until now.”

6[Mm-hmm.]6

A second more of warm hugging before Toriel withdraws her green magic away from our bodies. I notice how even though the soreness in my arms has disappeared, after the effort she has taken to heal us, it is all we can do to stand upright.

Daaaaamn we’re tired.

She steps away from us smoothly. Her sudden change in mood snaps us out of any sense of comfort we might have gathered from her presence. Her voice becomes more brisk. “There is another reason I came here.”

She turns around and begins walking away slowly. [“What is it?”]

Over her shoulder: “I have a request straight from Judge Sans.”

{[“Huh?”]}”

We follow her, Chara guiding me along. Even now, my hands remain on my controller and the Monado, in case I have to use them again. Only after a couple minutes of walking do I register Asgore’s labored and unsure footsteps behind us along the gravel path through the garden.

“He requests—

She stops herself.

“No.

“It is much stronger than a request.”

She corrects herself: “Judge Sans DEMANDS your presence at once.”

Chara and I don’t waste any time: {[That’s not ominous at all!]}

Right on cue, the gravel under our feet seemingly vanishes out from underneath us.

We fall through the air, out of seemingly nowhere.

After a moment of false freefall, our shoes land solidly on the marble floor of the Judgment Hall.

Not a second after we land, a strident voice calls out to us… and we immediately clamp our hands over our ears. Even the Second Six Souls try withdrawing their fields of knowing away from us to distance themselves from the magic powering that voice.

Like it would do us any good: because the voice is magical, it can’t be drowned out by any means.

Though sudden, overwhelming, and soul-shaking, we recognize the voice at once.

Chara, the Second Six Souls, and I have never felt so glad to be yelled at in our lives.

*“HALT!”*

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the URL for the Asgore cover.
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6EX-4mz5WuY
> 
> Here's Fallen Down Reprise.
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cGBMTAGzWPs
> 
> Linguistic struggle explanation time!
> 
> Despite the fact that I've portrayed more abstract manifestations of magic before, this fight was difficult to write, mostly because I couldn't settle on how to recreate and adapt Asgore's attack patterns to suit this AU. I reasoned that since he was a skilled fighter, he would not be telegraphed like in the game, so I characterized him switching tactics as him adapting to my strategy. I also had a hard time finding appropriate language to describe the amount of damage I was dealing and being dealt. It's like how humans can only describe pain on a ten-point scale: we have only so many words to describe pain. Considering that soulological pain is an abstract, fictional concept, I struggled in describing the damage I was causing to Asgore's soul.
> 
> Finding ways to describe the fight without breaking the flow of the narrative was also difficult. I wanted to give off the impression that my soulological training had become second nature, so I no longer needed to consciously think about the magical stimulus I was feeling. That, and as of now, this fight is the culmination of my and Chara's time being together. I trust Chara with my safety, Chara officially knows how to give meaningful directions, they have sufficiently-nuanced control over my body, and they know when to trust me to make choices.
> 
> There's also the moral dilemma of Chara helping me to beat the living crap out of Asgore. However, as much as I like to ramble on about morality in these endnotes, I can say that the morality feels weren't the focus in this chapter. Maybe they will be later... as of the initial posting of this chapter on 25 April 2018, I haven't planned out the next chapter yet.
> 
> I have to say though, that this fight was one of my most anticipated moments... at least, before the Judgment theory took over my life. I knew that this fight would have to be a spectacle, so I wanted every element: the writing, the pacing, the music, to reflect that.
> 
> The cover of Asgore I used was one of the first songs I confirmed I wanted in Visiontale. I had tried looking for another cover which captured its dynamism and replicated its variety of instruments, but I hadn't found one. I knew I wanted this song to be in the soundtrack after listening to the Heartache sample section. It's much more energetic, and yet, more rhythmic, than the original, because of the drums. While listening to this section, I'd imagine Chara and I dodging Asgore's flashing light blue and orange attacks, and Chara calling out the colors to the beat. That action was so evocative that at first, I tried to time the writing to the music, so if you read it at a certain speed, you'd read Chara's directions in time to the drums but... that didn't end up working out. Oh well.
> 
> As for Fallen Down Reprise? I have also looked extensively for covers over the past several months. In my ideal cover, the main melody would have been performed with a violin, and the entire song would have been played by real instruments... but I guess that kind of cover doesn't exist...
> 
> *sigh...*
> 
> Funny story actually: for a long time, early on in worldbuilding, I wondered what I'd have Toriel say to me when she appeared. I thought about this again after the Judgment was finalized, because this would have been the first time Toriel would have seen Chara up close.
> 
> In spite of all that prior thought, over the course of writing the first few complete drafts of the chapter, I had forgotten about most of it and almost made this scene shorter than it deserved...
> 
> [Whauw whauw whaaaaaauw.]
> 
> One last note: about the last word of this chapter...
> 
> You know how Judge Sans has been keeping the peace for the past several hours in-story, ever since we left?
> 
> When he promised he'd defend his title of Judge... even if it killed everyone?
> 
> You'll see some of the consequences of his attempts in the next chapter. Not all of them, because they're not the focus, but still.
> 
> Also: you know how Toriel roasts Asgore in front of everyone, in the True Pacifist ending?
> 
> Now, imagine those same arguments being said by Judge Sans.
> 
> Yeah.
> 
> *shudder*
> 
> That's going to be a fun chapter to write. At the very least, it will force me to confront my... feelings... on Asgore.
> 
> [The thought of seeing how Judge Sans--]
> 
> No.
> 
> I just realized: Chara and I aren't the most determined. The save point-style endings don't refer to us. I can't end the endnotes like that anymore.
> 
> [6[{The act of wielding your power as Judge: magical, moral, and political, without restraint, fills you with determination.
> 
> [6[{File saved.
> 
> [6[{HP fully restored.}]6]
> 
> Asgore? Prepare to have a bad time.


	47. Chapter 47

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After more than two months of writing, struggling to do Asgore justice, and agonizing over Judge Sans's dialogue, here's the next chapter.
> 
> If you want to read about my process for selecting the background music, my feelings on Asgore, and my headcanons about Judge Sans, specifically regarding why he acts and speaks the way he does, read the endnotes.
> 
> Oh yeah: as of the first posting of this chapter, Judge Sans's/Alphys's/Annie's birthdays are in a few days, on July 10. It's also Nikola Tesla's birthday, and the start of Patience 204X on the Dreemurrite/Judiciary calendar. Several days before this chapter was posted for the first time, I realized that if I was using that system, I would have been living through the interlude between 203X and 204X. Ever since I first published that headcanon, so much time has gone by that I can count the number of years I've been writing Visiontale using the calendar I created. As of this October (the last week of Bravery 204X), I would've been writing Visiontale for two Gregorian years (our calendar), and almost two Dreemurrite/Judiciary years...
> 
> "[6[{By Tesla...}]6]"

47

*“HALT!!!”*

*Play until the next note yaaaas!*

*Insert I Am Determined here.*

{[6[OH FUCK!!!]6]}

I don’t even question Chara as they activate Speed Art, grab my hand, and begin dragging me out of the room as fast as they can. [Nope! I don't wanna be here! I don't wanna be part of this!]

{Same!}

Mid-stride, yellow magic surges through us. Our souls lurch as the determination powering Speed Art drains out of us completely. *"I SAID HAULT!"*

[{Not again!}]

Blue magic seizes hold of us, and in spite of our… prior experiences… with blue magic, in our panic, we try to break free. A[I mean we all saw this coming.

A[But if we had bodies we still would've done it.]A

In a what-would-normally-be-funny squeaky voice: S[True!]S

K[Why'd you guys think you could run away!? Why!? Just…]K

A verbal facepalm: K[Aaaaaaah!]K

Kari’s right: the first time, we refused to follow orders, even though we knew we would have a… bad time… if we disobeyed them.

Knowing that, why did we disobey this time?

[{How could we be so stupid?}]

*“Empty your pockets.”*

He’s still yelling at us. Of course it’s not going to end now…

Retrieving the Pie from the dimensional box, I step out of Mjolnir and set it down a short distance away from my feet, my body and soul jerking in time with Chara’s movements. To my left, the chain on their locket clinks rapidly as they whip it off their neck and fling it to the floor. 

[Toriel put her stuff on the floor too--]

{But he didn’t—!}

[She’s still got her phone—]

E[If you were her would YOU want him to use his magic on you?]E

No one answers.

[E[Exactly!]E]

*“Lay down your arms.”*

I set my controller and the Monado down as soon as he finishes speaking. Then, I set my hands on my head, in what I can only hope is plain view.

K[Chara and Toriel are doing that too.]K

I’m only confused for a moment before Chara and the Second Six Souls explain in unison: [6[So we can't cast magic.

[6[Not like it matters but still…]6]

It takes Asgore… a bit longer… to set his trident heavily on the floor at his feet.

A relieving moment of silence—

No.

He’s… waiting.

Even before I fell into the Underground, I learned to read the mood of people—monsters—whatever… even when they don’t talk. Sometimes, their intent is just palpable.

I don’t hesitate as we sink downward, until Chara, Toriel, and I kneel on the floor before Judge Sans, even though we were never explicitly told to do so.

Well… I suppose Chara intended to kneel… and that is enough of an incentive to make Toriel follow suit. Since our souls are still intertwined from fighting Asgore, I have no choice but to do as they do and feel as they feel. Based on the heavy thud of metal on marble behind us, it sounds like Asgore has finally knelt on the floor. [6[{Duuuuude why’d it take you sooooo looong!?}]6]

After a moment, a command brimming with yellow magic sears our souls and burns against our skin. Chara, Toriel… everyone else in the Judgment Hall, and I, all cringe in pain at once, even though we know this command is not directed at us.

*“Asgore Rousseau Dreemurr.

*“STAND AND DELIVER!”*

From my position on the floor, my body spasms. Toriel seems less startled, but not by much. Though he is close behind us, Asgore’s bewilderment seems completely drowned out by the multitude of emotions felt by the monsters around us: surprise, admiration, fear… and respect.

Just as Chara and I are about to make some witty remark about how if a deep authoritative voice says to do something, you do it, Asgore slowly, laboriously, rises to his feet… and not just because he is still wounded and spent from our fight.

No.

Using his blue magic, Judge Sans grips Asgore's soul with an iron fist. Blue magic washes across the entire Judgment Hall, each object seemingly suspended within it. Simultaneously, the all-too-familiar burning sensation of yellow magic fills the air. With every breath, our throats burn and souls throb, and we can’t help but recall the HP, strength, and will-sapping power of Karmic Retribution. Based on the pain we sense from several other monsters around us, it seems like we were only the first ones to feel that power since—

Why did I bow my head?

I never—

{Why am I face down?

{Again?}

It takes me a moment longer than it should to realize why I’m face down on the floor: {It’s Chara.}

They’re prostrating themselves.

Through our pain and the overwhelming presence of Judge Sans’s magic, I can’t help but snark, {Well I did tell you that prostration’s like, the highest form of respect you could give someone back in the day…}

Before Chara can reply: *[Fear not.*

{[Fucking Jesus what!?]}

As if in response: *I mean you no harm.*

We're hearing Judge Sans’s thoughts again, like in Asgore’s shady basement. This is the first time we've communicated soulologically face-to-face since we left. The last time we did, he… summoned Chara…

T[He can hear what we’re thinking remember?]T

[{Oh… fuck you're right!}]

[That’s not Karmic Retribution we’re feeling. Well it is but it’s not 'cause of us.

[I mean YOU no harm.] Chara emphasizes. [He means US.]

Momentarily, we receive a familiar order: *“Rise.”*

We begin scrambling off of the floor as quickly as we can.

At least, until Chara trips on their own feet and begins to fall.

We can’t help but groan. {S[You JUST had to fuck this up…]S}

Chara gasps as A sharp pain takes hold of my right wrist, my right arm going rigid. Blue and yellow magic and… determination… drives into our souls. Fear grips Chara, and by extension, me, for an instant, until I realize what’s happening to us.

I’m feeling what Chara’s feeling.

No one’s holding onto MY wrist.

Judge Sans grabbed Chara’s wrist before they could fall. {But he was—!

{He shortcutted over here didn’t he?}

6[Yeh.]6

Just as quickly, Chara’s feet plant themselves firmly on the floor again, supported by blue magic—the same aura of blue magic that surrounded them before. It's just that now, it's much more gentle.

Chara fidgets, bracing themselves for a short and biting critique of their actions. I inch closer to them and prepare to grab their wrist again, in case we have to run. {[6[Awwww he’s gonna be soooo piiiissed…?]6]}

However, the seemingly-inevitable list of the ways we have defied his orders does not come.

Instead, Judge Sans begins chuckling.

No one expected this.

His mood has cycled through soul-splitting authority, concern, and gentleness, in a matter of seconds.

Judge Sans’s voice rings, firm and low and clear, as we vibrate with his every word. *“Chara?”*

No one dares to answer.

A few more moments pass, and he has yet to speak again.

Prodding: K[He wants an answer guys.]K

[“Y-y-yeah?”]

Amused: *“You surprised me.”*

Chara tries to reply, but can’t even form a coherent sentence. After several attempts, they manage to ask, [“H-h-h-h-how?”]

They receive an answer much more quickly than any of us expected: *“You did not protect Pauline.

*“Rather—“*

“No…? They diiiiiiid…?” I interrupt.

{What’s he implying?}

“They DEEEEEFIIIINIIIIITEEEELY diiiid…?”

He cuts me off before I can continue: *“I beg to differ.”*

A deceptively-simple statement: *“You acted out of good will, Chara.”*

As usual, we reply with the first thought that comes to mind: “[{What do you mean?}]”

Judge Sans wastes no time in giving us the explanation we want and need. From his tone, it seems like he has waited a long, long time to give it.

A weight seems to lift from his shoulders as he takes a breath and says, *“Humans and monsters should do good out of good will alone.”*

[… … Uh… you’d think he would’ve said something longer…]

{Yeeeeaaaah truuuuue.}

In spite of its brevity, Chara struggles through his explanation. [“So… you think me doing it ‘cause we’re friends is wrong. I don’t know why but—“]

A customarily-short answer: *“Correct.”*

[“You think I did it ‘cause it was the right thing to do.

[“I think.”]

They receive no answer.

Chara continues talking, throwing explanations against a wall until one sticks: [“how does that surprise you?

[“I’ve been helping Pauline the whole time.

[“You saw that… during our Judgment.

[“So how are you surprised by this one thing?”]

He takes a step toward us. Static and heavy fabric brushes my body, and patellas click against marble. We receive another formal reply, much closer to our eye level this time. The closeness scares us, but not for long.

Gently, but with emphasis on every word: *“You heard me.

*”Good people do good out of good will alone.”*

We gasp. {“So you think Chara’s a good person.”} I venture a guess.

*“No.”*

“[{What?}]”

*“Chara never strived to be a good person.”*

I recall, {“You said anyone can be good if they try.

{“So you think they weren’t trying hard enough.”}

No answer. {“But when we fought Asgore, they tried—”}

*“No.”* is Judge Sans’s sharp retort.

“[{What do you mean?}]”

Emphatically: *“They succeeded.”*

He used the same tone when he condemned Chara for their actions, in the other timelines as well as this one.

How can the same level of passion be applied to such a different situation?

How has his opinion changed so completely?

Chara, shyly, unsure of how they should feel about his verdict. In spite of living only Tesla knows how many lifetimes through Frisk, they are still eleven at heart. They’ve never talked about this before.

[“You think I did a good thing for the right reason.

[“And you think I’m really trying to be good this time.

[“You don’t think I’m a good person yet… but you think I CAN be.”]

Phalanges close around the top of Chara’s head. After a couple moments, Sans wraps an arm around their shoulders and pulls them close. To my surprise, Chara’s body and soul relax almost immediately. Only a moment passes before he does the same to me.

As the tension in my body and pain in my soul slowly subsides, every last trace of Karmic Retribution vanishing, I am certain that what I am feeling is all my own.

Under the principle that actions speak louder than words, it is obvious that we have received our answer.

Softly: *“Chara?”*

They do not hesitate this time: [“Mm-hmm?”]

*“Your prior conduct—“*

[“But why would you forgive me!?”]

He cuts Chara off. *“Once I have restored peace, ask me again.”*

[“Uh…”]

We nod. [{“Okay.”}]

Sans seems to collect himself before he stands, turns away, and begins walking past us. {So he DIIIIID see Chara get down on their knees before…}

Chara turns around to face Asgore. A slight tug of blue magic orients me in the same direction and stabilizes my body. His intent to help and protect us is evident in the nuances in his magic, in the way he allows us to move without feeling any pain. He stops only a couple feet away from Asgore, nearly all of his field of knowing focused on him.

[He won’t do it again.]

{His magic—}

A stinging retort, more painful than any Gaster blaster charged with Karmic Retribution: [You really think he hasn't learned by now?

[How can you think he'd drop his guard like that again!?]

I don't answer. Instead, Chara, the Second Six Souls, and I, chant in unison, mentally and aloud. I don’t even question how any of us know what to say.

[6[{"The act of wielding your power as Judge: magical, moral, and political, fills you with determination.

[6[{“File saved.

[6[{“HP fully restored.”}]6]

A moment of crackling silence where no one dares to speak. At least, until Asgore tries to break it. His magic is so repressed that it barely projects beyond his body. Even though we are standing only a few feet away, we strain to hear him.

"What is the meaning of this?"

No answer.

Again, Asgore speaks, growing more bewildered with every word: "I do not understand."

We tense up as the faint, but unmistakable, metallic taste of yellow magic plays on our tongues. {[Noooooo…? Noooooooo don’t dooooooo thiiiiiiis…?]}

{How's he not noticing this?}

[No he’s noticing it—]

{Then why’s he still—!?}

[Hell if I know! He… when he’s nervous that’s just how he is.]

Asgore speaks for a third time: "Sans—“

[You know that hand thing people do when they want you to shut up?]

{Uh… yeeeees…?}

[That’s what Judge Sans just did.]

{Oh daaaaamn!}

A stern command: *"You've no leave to speak, Dreemurr."*

We can’t help ourselves: [{“Oh shiiiiiiit…”}]

“Even if that may be the case,” Toriel points out cautiously, “he must know why he has been summoned here. He at least deserves that. After all, you have done so for every other monster who has endangered the Judiciary, Judge Sans.”

We stop in our tracks.

Since when was Toriel so… formal?

{I mean I know she used to be queen but still!}

Chara’s fear resurfaces again. [Why’s she backing him up?]

{I don’t think it’s that.

{I think she’s trying to stop him from flipping out.}

Yellow magic and determination hum in my ears, rising and falling. Several times, it spikes, and Chara, the Six Souls, everyone else in the Judgment Hall, and I whince, anticipating another outburst, but nothing comes. Eventually it falls to a seemingly-stable level. The humming dies down. {He’s calmed down right?}

[Yeah how do you know?]

{His magic—}

[Yeah his eyes aren’t flashing all crazylike. He’s calmed down.

[For now.]

6[{For now.}]6

He finally replies: *“Heightened emotions cause monsters to lose control of their actions and their magic.

*“Some have refused to obey orders.

*“Some have even caused grave harm.”*

“6[[{Holy fuck Bob was right…}]]6”

Though quiet, Asgore replies almost immediately: “You must know that I am no stranger to this pattern of behavior. I have seen it more often than I dare to count.

“What I do not understand is…"

Asgore seems lost for words. He picks up again after a couple seconds. "How is it that in spite of the intensity of their emotions, no one is casting magic here?

“I can sense what they feel. But it hasn’t manifested magically”

As usual, he receives no answer.

Asgore insists: "You must feel it too.”

No answer.

“Surely your current behavior has not assuaged them!”

No answer.

"I know you feel what they feel. It is our nature. Not even you can block it out.

“why are you acting this way!?" he finally asks.

Only an instant passes before Asgore receives a cold, beyond-lucid reply: *"You know why.

*"Only I may cast magic here."*

[6[{Oh shit!}]6]

In a squeaky mental voice: {Well… not like I thought he’d say anything else.}

{It’s just like the first time we got here all over again!}

[Yeh!

[I mean we all know he technically doesn’t have to say it but he still wants to show off his power sooooo…]

To our surprise, Asgore continues, ever so slightly more confident, as if he had never been reprimanded: "You are not…”

He struggles for the right word. Rapidly, light blue and orange magic flickers into and out of existence around him. “Even after everything I’ve seen and heard and felt today I did not believe it…

“But it is true.

“You are not yourself.” he decisively says.

He struggles to speak over the blue and yellow magic surrounding his soul. “I have never seen you lash out like this. And I am not trying to imply that you have never taken anything seriously.

“It's just…

“The last time you acted this way was…”

He gathers himself: “Was when you first proposed the Determination Study to me.”

Everyone mutters in agreement.

6[[{Sounds about right…}]]6

Still no answer.

At this point, Chara and I are unsure of what would be more reassuring: an all-out, magic-fuelled command for silence, or a barely-controlled retort, magic leaking from every word.

Somehow, he has yet to be silenced.

The fact that Asgore continues to receive no answer scares us to no end.

He continues. I can hear him shudder, his voice shaking with every word. "I have never seen you act so cold.

“COMPOSED, yes, but never so cold."

Toriel, in a similar shaky voice: “I cannot believe I am sayin this, but I must agree completely with Asgore.

“We DESERVE an answer. And I am referencing everyone: not just Asgore and myself.

“It should not be—“

Asgore talks over her, hurrying to speak his mind before he is inevitably shut out: “I just do not know how or why you have changed.

“If you can at least tell me that…”

[A[Just say something damn it you’re freaking us out!]A]

[{Yep!}]

Even after pouring their hearts out to him, Judge Sans refuses to give Asgore or Toriel an answer.

Simultaneously: “Please—!“

Another harsh reply: *“See for yourself.”*

We can't help but agree with Asgore: {[Daaaaaamn thaaaaaaat’s coooold!]}

{How can they see anything if their magic's being suppressed?}

[They still can—it’ll just be really hard. Judge Sans isn’t gonna give them any leeway. Why would he?]

Asgore and Toriel manage to calm themselves and focus their magic, until it coalesces and slowly extends out into the rest of the room. Using their fields of knowing, they perform a stat check on the monsters present.

Eventually, Asgore’s magic probes Chara’s soul, pausing particularly long on their few remaining injuries before retracting again. Though only a few minutes have passed since our fight, Chara can’t help but relax slightly as Asgore’s magic caresses their cheek.

I flinch when his magic reaches me, but I follow Chara's lead soon enough. I can't help but give in to his concern. {Why does he care so much? He literally just tried to kill me.

{I know I should be pissed at him but…

{How is it that I’m not?}

Through his soulological contact, I invision his stats.

Asgore Rousseau Dreemurr  
HP: 205/3500  
Attack: 42/42  
Defense: 42/42  
Monsters have trusted him for centuries for a reason.

[We didn’t do that…]

{You mean with his stats?}

[What do you think?]

{I know.

{[His magic's being suppressed that much?]}

[Some of his stat drops are from when he fought us but yeah. His maximum stats are lower now. He can still use magic. But he’s scared. And confused. [But mostly scared.]

{But his HP—}

[Karmic Retribution.]

I stiffen. {Sans—}

[6[Judge Sans—]6]

{Judge Sans has been casting it on him this whole time?}

Toriel’s stat check is the first to reach the soul of Judge Sans. She gasps violently. Asgore and CHara soon follow. [Holy shit!]

{What!?}

[LOOK!]

Chara's soul deftly focuses my field of knowing in the right place, and together, we perform a stat check.

Judge Sans Wingdings Gaster  
HP: 6498/6498  
Attack: 195/244  
Defense: 160/184  
Wielding the power I deserve fills me with determination.

“[{OH FUCKING HELL BY FARADAY’S LISP WHAAAAT!?!?}]”

[{No wonder they’re freaking out!}]

Chara and I lean forward to catch what Asgore says. He seems to withdraw into himself and chooses each word before he says it.

He speaks as if any word he says could—

Of course anything he says could set off Judge Sans. We know this all too well. His fear and caution is completely justified.

“So it’s true: you HAVE gained your old stats back. And then some—“

“6[[{Understatement of the fucking century!}]]6”

“I knew you were strong but…

“By Tesla… what’s happened to you?”

"[{Yeah I have to ask that too!}]"

“Chara? Pauline?”

Even as I reply, the Six Souls scold me for not thinking it through more: {“Yeah?”}

{ Oh my God he’s talking to me.}

“Before you saw his stats, I know you must have tried to figure out what they were, based on what you have…”

{Yeah I don’t know how you’d describe that either…}

“—FELT… firsthand.”

“Yeah I have. I tried doing it without a calculator…? But I couldn’t… and like… the numbers I got were waaaay too high…?”

Asgore hums in agreement. “I have compared them to the distribution dictated by the el-Shabaz Principle as well—“

{ He knows the thing!}

[Well duh!]

6[Well duh!]6

“—and you are right: they are inordinately high.

“But you must know that regardless, what you saw conforms to their model. AND methodological principles. If nothing else you have witnessed the one cardinal rule that all monsters agree is true. Regardless of translitional political alignment.

“Given a situation involving monsters, if you have the option to describe it in extreme terms, do it.”

I laugh a little, recalling the translationist statistical models Dewey and Gaster taught me. {Everyone told me he couldn’t math!}

[I… thought he couldn’t math too…]

{But you said he knew—!}

[I know he knows what it is! I just didn’t think he’d use it…]

Asgore continues, “But you still haven’t answered our question, Sans.

“By Tesla, what’s happened to you?”

Judge Sans takes a step toward him, and Chara, the Six Souls, and I can’t help but sympathize with Asgore. Given his current state, the last time Judge Sans stood that close to someone, Chara and I were on the verge of being Gaster blasted to death.

[Judge Sans… his hands are sparking with his cemented colors of magic. But Adam was right—he’s not using them to control his magic anymore. He just took them out of his pockets so dad could see.

[Dad’s back’s against the pillar behind him. His legs are together and his arms are bound at his sides.]

{Like we were…}

[He’s glowing blue and gold… like we were… during the fight.

[And he… Asgore… can’t cast magic anymore.]

With every word, a pulse of blue and yellow magic and determination crashes over and into Asgore, each one falling upon his soul like a hammer blow.

*“You know why.

*“I am determined.”*

Asgore, in a whisper so quiet that we have to walk forward several steps, just so we can hear him: “Why?

"Why did you break them?

“Even if you found fault with Chara, they—“

The hammer falls once more: *”They abused the power to save.”*

“Even so,” Asgore's confidence builds with every word, “you caused Chara unnecessary harm. They—“

[“Wait.”]

I start.

"[You mean “them” like me.]

{What do you—}"

"[Not Pauline and me.

"[So you think what I did was okay but what Pauline did wasn’t?”]

Asgore seems not to have expected Chara to speak to him: “Chara I do not—“

"[No. You did.

[“You tried to kill her before—I saw you!”]

Bitterly: [“‘Cause she was spposed to be the seventh soul.”]

“Chara—"

"[Why didn’t you take them!? It would’ve been so easy! We probly wouldn’t even be standing here if you did.]"

“Because if I took them, I would have let our people down.”

The magic sparking between us vanishes.

No one expected Asgore to have an answer ready.

Systematically: “First: if I took the Third Seven Souls, the hardline Dreemurrites would have decried my use of artificial souls. You know this, because of the Great Disclosure Riots."

"How could I forget?"

[6[Dude whyyyy--?]6]

{Well what else was I spposed to say!?}

"I am not implying that you have, Pauline. I am laying out the facts, for everyone here. That is all."

"Fair enough."

When Asgore next speaks, it seems like he has turned away, back toward the Judgment Hall at large: “At the same time the most desperate of monsters would have abhored my lack of commitment to my promise—“

"[That every human who falls down here must die?]"

Asgore doesn’t have to answer Chara in words. His melancholy seeps over us, in spite of his efforts to hide it. The Karmic Retribution being cast on him even slows and fades somewhat in response.

Asgore was right: try as he might, Judge Sans is not immune to the psychophysiological states of those around him. As we watch, his attack and defense decrease by several points each.

Asgore collects himself: “The Inertia Society would have tried to use their control of the souls against me. They’re keeping them alive, after all."

Chara and I gasp: he's right.

“If they weren’t satisfied with me, even if I accepted the souls, they could kill them off remotely, at little cost to them, because they control the technology to make more. It would take time but…

“We have all the time in the world.”

"Yeah…" Chara and I hesitantly agree.

"And beyond that, any of these… protesters… could have found me and killed me. Unlike your politicians, I make a genuine effort to make time for my subjects, to get to know as many of them as well as possible. To spend time with them that truly matters. I have the Royal Guard to protect me but…”

He sighs heavily. "Today, out of all days, I do all I can to be completely open to my subjects. Security measures be damned.

"But I never could have anticipated this."

“What happened?” I ask.

“Pauline.”

I didn’t expect him to compose himself so quickly.

“Yeah?”

“Remember: Judge Sans is still an Inertia Society member.

“Besides Undyne, would the Royal Guard want the Inertia Society in power?”

{He knows about her armor!}

[Well she’s been using it for like, several months!]

“Probly not… so they DIIIIIIID ditch you!”

“If they hadn’t, THEY would have killed you on the way to the Barrier. Not me.

“The ones who didn’t decide to protest, anyhow.”

"{[Protest what?]}"

Without hesitation: “Me.”

I stop.

Everyone does. The monsters spectating on our conversation all react in their own ways. Judge Sans's stats drop by a few more points.

“But why!? I thought only Inertia Society members would wanna kill you.”

“That is true.

"But yes: there are Dreemurrites’ve who wanted to kill me as well. For a long time now. Far longer than Inertia Soiciety members have ever wanted to. Ever since the Holistic Integration Movement began, early in the second Dreemurrite century.

“The closest anyone has come to carrying through those threats was…"

He can't bring himself to say it.

*"When?"*

Everyone jolts in surprise: Judge Sans was the last one we expected to ask.

He asks again, more insistently this time: *"Asgore.

*"They wished to kill you when?"*

Asgore replies confidently: "This desperately? And on this scale?

"Bravery 200X. When rumors about the Determination Study began leaking."

The silence that greets Asgore is enough of an answer.

“There is only one thing that these extremists have in common.”

Agitated, we wait for the answer.

"Chara?

“Pauline?

"I know you’ve heard this before. But I know it will be more meaningful if you hear it from me."

He enunciates: “Regardless of their reasons, many want the Judge to be in power.”

Asgore was right: none of us are surprised.

“As for why, the Dreemurrites have seen me as weak, and soft, and too tolerant of humans.

“And the Inertia Society sees your efforts to quantify such an abstract concept as morality as one of our kind’s greatest achievements, Your Honor."

*“You… truly…?”*

Chara, the Six Souls, and I are confused for several moments. It doesn’t immediately register to us that Sans has spoken. He has never sounded so surprised and uncertain, since he became determined.

An uneasy laugh: “I would not be saying it if I didn't believe it or if it weren't true. You would have known if I was lying!”

“[{6[Truuuuuuue…]6]}”

"The Inertia Society’s argument is simple: why not have someone who is living proof that monsters are superior to humans lead us?

“Someone birthed by our technology? Someone raised by our finest methods? Someone educated by the teacher which is experience??

{[What does he mean?]}

“Or rather hundreds, if not thousands, of lifetimes worth of experiences.”

{[Noooooo…

{[No way…]}

A gasp from in front of us: *“You… you heard Shakur and Touring.”*

“Yes. Every last argument, rebuttal, supposed lie, damning of lies, and statistic, Judge Sans.”

K[Who would’ve thought…?]K

Asgore just used the title.

He’s lowered himself to our level.

He’s obeying Judge Sans’s decree from earlier, and not just because he has seen our bad time.

No.

He respects that decree.

He genuinely respects it.

Stark confusion and surprise that is not our own floods our souls. The blue and yellow magic enveloping the Judgment Hall vanishes completely, leaving a mundane silence behind. As unsettling as this silence makes us feel, we wait it out. We know that we will receive a reply in time.

*"You shall step down.”*

"Yes." Asgore answers firmly. "I agree with the Inertia Society, that by refusing to accept the Third Seven Souls, I am depriving Pauline of her naturel rights.

"I agree with the Dreemurrite extremists that using artificial souls to break the Barrier is abhorrent, because they were created as an experiment, and not as true living things.

“I even agree with humans who think the same way, in regards to experimentation on human embryos.

"Yes: it is abhorrent that our kind has been forced to research this subject, just so we may be free."

Asgore’S armor clinks as he walks forward. The crowd around us softly gasps. [He bowed. Like Shakur earlier.]

{I had afeeling—}

"Accordingly," Asgore musters up all his dignity, "I agree that only a monster with knowledge of all relevant points of view, and the necessary training, wisdom, and power, has the right to tackle these issues."

Again: the dull thud of metal on marble. {He knelt on the floor again, didn't he?}

[Yep.]

Everyone holds their breath as Asgore proclaims, "I, Asgore Rousseau Dreemurr, formally resign my position as king. In my stead, I decree that the Judge shall take power. Until our kind is safe, secure, and stable, he shall wield his power: magical, moral, and political, without restraint.

“May the prospect of doing what I could not fill you with determination, Judge Sans."

A split second where the crowd basques in Asgore's last decree as king.

Sans's disbelief washes over everyone. {I mean you'd think he’d be happy about this.}

[I don't think it's that. He probly can't believe what he just heard.]

S[Can you blame him?

S[Asgore just gave up all his power by Tesla!]S

T[I might not be into politics, but even I know this is a big deal.]T

E[Asgore placed his full confidence in Sans. 'Cause he knows that he'll pull through.]E

A[I don't think you can say that for sure.

A[But I know Sans will figure out what to do. He always does.]A

D[If Adam’s certain about it, it can't be that far off. I think we should take heart from that.]D

[Dad gave Judge Sans all his power ‘cause he thinks Judge Sans can use it better than he can.]

{Yeah I know. It freaks me out but…

{The Underground’s survived for three hundred years without democracy. What’s a few more months or years gonna do?}

Somehow, throughout all this, Kari remains silent. I assume that she'd have the most to say. Politics is her thing, after all.

However, before anyone else can reply, the silence is broken by three noises.

The first is Kari’s shocked gasp.

The second is a high-pitched laugh.

The third is a set of six blood-curtling screams.

“He he he he he!

“You REALLY think you have the power to bend this timeline to your will?

“How can you think that when you can’t even control yourself?

“He he he he!

“You really ARE an idiot…”

*Stop the music.*

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the original link to the Undyne cover used in this chapter.
> 
> www.youtube.com/watch?v=5nvlKRof2wY.
> 
> This song is also the 73rd track off of (what else?) Fallen: an Undertale Tribute, released by Materia Collective. That album might as well be the soundtrack to Visiontale by now... which wouldn't even necessarily be wrong.
> 
> Time to get the complicated part out of the way first.
> 
> I don't like Asgore.
> 
> Part of this is because we barely see him in Undertale itself, and even when we do, he's either trying to kill Frisk, or Toriel's calling him out for his past actions. We only see him acting genuinely kind toward us at the end of the True Pacifist route.
> 
> Also, this might seem out of place, but Asgore's attitude reminds me too much of real-life politicians. He knows that killing all the children is wrong morally, but he does it anyway. He uses the death of a seventh child (frisk) to motivate his people. The way he makes the conflict seem so... black-and-white... bothers me. I also don't like him since we never see him actually do his job well, besides caring for his subjects emotionally and hearing about him mentoring Undyne. We never see him enact policies besides the call for souls. We only hear about him through other characters.
> 
> I tried my hardest to make Asgore competent, while keeping his... more oblivious and or stubborn tendencies... sufficiently in tact. After all: he wouldn't have remained king for so long without a still-high base level of competency.
> 
> Now time to get to the fun stuff!
> 
> Yes: Judge Sans is all over the place. However, there's a reason why he's acting this way. He says it himself: *"Strong emotions cause monsters to lose control of their magic."* Monsters express themselves through their magic. Also, Asgore points it out when he says that monsters can't help but be impacted by the emotions of everyone around them. They're inherently empathetic. Because Judge Sans's soul is so strong, he's more sensitive to everyone's emotional states. Like humans, their emotions manifest through their actions, voices, what they say, etc. However, everything a monster does is only possible because of their magic. Therefore, Judge Sans is acting so... erratic... because of his emotions manifesting through everything he says and does. That, and as said a couple chapters ago: emotional control is not a virtue among monsters. Because his soul is so strong, it's only fair that he's more expressive, and that his emotions change so quickly. He has more magic available to him to use to express himself.
> 
> I never had the chance to explain why Judge Sans speaks the way he does before now. I essentially copied the way he speaks in the Judgment Hall, when his text-scrolling noises don't play. There, he speaks in shorter, more blunt sentences. I wanted to amplify this effect, so that's why he doesn't use the passive voice (he doesn't say is/was/are etc), and why with few exceptions, he doesn't use any words that are longer than two syllables. I wanted to embody how strongly he believes in his morals. His sense of justice is so strong that it even manifests in how he speaks: he wants to be as candid as possible, so he speaks in a way which supposedly prevents anyone from misconstruing what he says. He doesn't want to hide his intensions using his words. He also speaks relatively little because he wants every word he says to carry weight. He doesn't speak just for the sake of it.
> 
> Also, it somewhat fits with Sans's adherence to Kantian ethics. He doesn't want to deceive anyone because if everyone did that, no one would able to do what they have to do, since everyone would always be lying to each other...
> 
> Accordingly, I chose the cover of Undyne I did because it's calm, collected, and in control. It alludes to power, which mostly lies just underneath the surface. When it does come into the open, whenever the electric guitar becomes louder and more distorted, it's still restrained. Even though Judge Sans isn't always calm or collected, he's certainly in control... or, at least, he feels like it. When the song becomes louder, it feels... oppressive, just like the level of control Judge Sans has exerted over his surroundings, and everyone around him. This song essentially says "Don't make me use any more of my power. You're already overwhelmed by what I'm doing now. Which is nothing. What makes you think you can handle any more? Don't fuck with me"
> 
> On a mostly-tangential note: I know this song plays when you first meet Undyne, when she's still wearing her armor, but seriously! This cover is waaaaay too subtle for Undyne.
> 
> One last note: whatever you're thinking about the very end of the chapter, yep!
> 
> Guess who's back?  
> Back again?  
> Flowey's back!  
> Tell a friend!
> 
> You know what this means.
> 
> flowey is the next one to have a bad time.


	48. Chapter 48

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Guess who's back?  
> Back again?  
> Flowey's back!  
> Tell a friend!
> 
> If you want to read about my thought process for writing the chapter, and or choosing background music for it, read the endnotes.

48

**Start reading only when the guitars and drums start. Loop until the next note.**

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_wdc_cDaUNQ

{No.

{It can’t be.}

[But the last time—]

“[{I forgot he existed!}]”

*…*

“he he he he! What’s wrong? Your infinite wisdom’s not doing it for you?”

Everyone braces for another screamed reply, but it does not come.

Instead, Judge Sans replies in a quiet voice that does not match the intensity of the magic comprising it. Chara and I have to walk closer several steps just to hear him.

*”You.”*

{Woooow he reaaaally hates him—}

[Oooooh you have nooooo idea…]

Another cackle. “A monster of few words, I see. I guess that’s what happens when you stop caring about ANYTHING or ANYONE around you for a few centuries.”

“Centuries? I repeat. “How many—“

As I try doing the math, counting how many Judiciary months are in a hundred surface years, I notice that there is slightly less… gloating… in… FLOWEY’s tone. “Huh. You really HAAAAVE learned how things work around here!”

The rustle of leaves and stems… and the grind of metal… approaching me—us—ever so slowly. S[Hey… anyone wanna try getting us out of here? I think you’ve had enough time to figure out what to do…]S

“I’ll admit: I’m impressed.”

T[Yeah—get us the fuck out of here! Now!]T

He sounds… uncomfortably close to me.

“I didn’t think you’d wanna help them.

“I mean, we AAAAAAALL know how much you value your free time. Doing what YOU want. And not relying on anyone—“

“Yeeeeeaaaaah… truuuuue.” I admit.

[He’s pointing at me--]

“You AND Chara.”

Flowey sighs… and, at the same time, yellow magic sizzles into existence around us: faint, but unmistakable. {Sans is seriously letting him talk? Why!?}

“You’ve got Pauline wrapped around your little finger, don’t you? No wonder you convinced her to hurt Jerry so easily!

“But you two have even more in common than that. ‘Cause both of you LOOOOOVE showing off how smart you are… how strong you are… and putting down anyone who tries to say you’re wrong. By any means necessary.”

I hate that he’s right.

Somehow, Chara hates it even more than me.

Even so, we can’t refute what Flowey says.

“Pauline?

“You’ve wanted to prove that you weren’t weak for a long time! On the surface and down here. You even said so, during Integrity—“

{[“Grillby’s—“]} we begin to recall.

“Exactly!

“Admit it Pauline: you wanted to hurt Jerry. Chara would know. They’d feel it.”

No one answers.

The rustle of leaves, as if Flowey’s leaning forward. “Chara’s been sharing your field of knowing for HOW LONG now? They probably knew what you wanted before you did.”

Chara doesn’t answer.

An exaggerated sigh. But it’s just too bad. Neither of you finished the job.

“‘Cause if you had, I might’ve gotten quite the show!”

[He’s pointing at Judge Sans--]

“You’ve changed almost everything in this timeline! Even the smily trashbag—“

“{What the fuck?}

Confidentially: “Chara knows what I’m talking about. Frisk has heard them say it more times than any of us can count.

“Even after seeing the…”

Flowey seems to stop, contemplating how to continue. Oh what’s the phrase?

Sharply: “I know!”

With emphasis: “After seeing the expression they were wearing.”

Chara and Judge Sans tense beside me.

“Even with YOUR power you wouldn’t be able to count how many times they’ve said it, Judge Sans.”

He guffaws. “I’ll admit it: YOU are a REAL piece of work.”

More screams, as Flowey drags the Second Six Souls closer to us. E[I don’t care what you have to do—get us out of heeere!]E

The yellow magic prickles more noticeably against my body as Flowey continues to monologue. “Draining Pauline and Chara’s stats is already a fate worse than death!

“Denying them a chance to plead for mercy?

“Reconstructing Chara, only to tear them to bloody pieces?

“OVER?

“AND OVER?

“AND OVER?

“That was the LAST thing I expected.

“It wasn’t like you!”

Chara, the Second Six Souls, and I are completely caught off guard by Judge Sans’s retort. He seems…

CONFIDENT.

COLLECTED.

TRULY in control: of his surroundings and of himself.

*”Of course!

*”Clearly, I am not that Sans.”*

“[{6[Oh shiiiiit!]6}]”

Flowey wastes no time: “Really?

“Before THESE TWO gained control of the timeline, you didn’t even try killing me until there were only a handful of monsters left!”

{What?}

“I broke your will—!“

Chara and I start as Judge Sans cuts Flowey off: *”As I broke yours?”*

[“Oh daaaaamn!”]

“Hmm.”

 

Flowey’s turned so he faces me more squarely. “That’s true.

“You don’t know about that.

“But Chara does.”

Chara doesn’t answer.

“Becoming friends with everyone?

“Solving their problems flawlessly?

“Finding their companionship amusing for a while?

“Being curious?

“Being curious about what would happen if you killed them?

“Telling yourself that you didn’t want to do it… but that you HAD to know what happened!”

Another cackle. “We AAAAAALL know you felt that way. If not here, then with Frisk. You two did EXACTLY what I did. And more.

“Because you and Frisk fought the smily trashbag only Tesla knows how many times, in how many timelines? You even managed to do what I couldn’t.”

Chara doesn’t answer.

And if you don’t believe me, then ask him.”

“After all, as of this morning, He’s seen everything you’ve done, every method you’ve used to kill every monster, in every timeline you’ve been in.

“So he knows how often you killed HIM.”

Chara doesn’t answer… but in the silence that follows, Kari whispers, K[Judge Sans nodded.]K

{I had a feeling—}

The containers holding the Second Six Souls scrape across the floor several more feet. “But back to you, Judge Sans.

“You’ve embraced your newfound power quickly!”

He becomes more excited by the second. “Stat-checking everyone, even if you have to invade their soulological privacy?

“Using their knowledge as your own, when you didn’t know what to do?

“Jumping at any chance you had to show off your power?

“It’s shocking, coming from someone who hates humans and monsters being treated as means to an end.”

Chara and I… and everyone else… gasp.

{He’s right.}

“[Oh no…]”

{Chara?}

Flowey continues: “To me, it looks like you’re losing control of your actions. And not because your soul’s more in tune with ours. Or ‘cause you empathize with us more.”

“[“Oh no—“]”

“{WHAT’S WRONG!?}”

“It’s almost like… you CHOSE to use your power like that!”

[“No!”]

“Oh yes.”

Flowey seems… strangely lucid. {I don’t like thiiiis—}

D[You know what you guys should do? Cut us loose! That’d be nice!]D

“No.

“More than that.

“It’s almost like… you ENJOYED using your power like that!”

Another exaggerated sigh. “But who am I to say? You’ve hurt SOOOOOO many monsters from all sides, so I can’t even say you’ve been biased. Hell—you’ve even had to dust some.

“All for the common defense, of course!

“I would never imply that you did it because you lost your temper or anything…”

{[Noooo… not at aaaall!]}

Flowey goes from lucid to eager in an instant: “But for all your obsessing over morals, you kept doing it! Suuuuure you TRIED to talk them down, but after a while, you barely gave anyone time to beg for mercy before you bashed their heads in on the closest flat surface.”

We shudder. “{[Too sooooonn--]}”

“In fact, you COULD say that you… DISTANCED YOURSELF… from everyone you hurt.”

A hurt gasp: *“No.”*

Another cackle: “You said it yourself!”

Flowey recites: “When you hurt someone, you distance yourself.”

*”6[No.]6”*

“The more you hurt others, the more you distance yourself.”

*”I never—“*

Flowey talks over Sans: “The more you distance yourself, the less you will hurt.”

*”Only those who—!”*

“Thus, you hurt others more readily.”

He seems to relish every moment as he finishes: “It’s YOUR system, not mine.”

A weight drops in my stomach as I recall Sans’s behavior. {I WAS wondering why he was yelling at us before—}

[And why he was all crazy when we got here.

[He… gave in… to that power. The power he gained from his Levels of Violence.

{But he fought it. So that’s why he calmed down and saw—felt—how we were freaking out—}

[He always felt it. He just… got over it.

[But not in a good way.]

Gleefully: “Under your own logic, you must have gained LOTS of Execution Points and Levels of Violence!”

Everyone shudders violently as a cluster of Gaster blasters manifest above our heads, firing into the air. Marble cracks, and Chara and I prepare to dive onto the floor and shield ourselves from another explosion. *”HOW DARE YOU—!”*

Flowey laughs, high and long and loud, as he says, “You’re proving my point right now! If I told you this earlier, you wouldn’t have done this. SUUUUURE you would’ve been angry. But expending so much power for no reason?

“I’m just telling the truth.

“During my first few resets you said I had to be honest with myself.

“I’m just doing what you told me! You’re going back on your morals, just because you wanna hurt me.

“Do you wanna be in control THAAAAAT badly?”

The floor shakes as blue magic pours into it, blocks of marble tearing free. Each rattle accompanies Judge Sans’s reply: *”Try me.”*

Several tense seconds of silence before Flowey replies, somehow even more excited than before.

“THAT’S WHAT I LIKE TO SEE!”

The Second Six Souls scream again as their containers scrape against the floor, then begin banging into each other. A[Yeah that’s it! Cut us loose! Shortcut us back to Hotland! Anything!]A

K[Burn him alive! I know Gaster blasters don’t really do that but still!]K

T[KILL HIM DEAD!]T

S[Kill the weed! Crush his stem! Bash him in!]S

“You REAAAAAAAALLY think I’d let you free them so easily?

“He he he he he!

“That’s all the proof I need.

“Even after gaining AAAAAAALL the power you deserve…

“Even after finding SOOOOOO many reasons to care…

“Even after becoming determined!

“You haven’t changed at all.

“You really ARE an idiot…”

**Stop the music.**

The clacking of bones fills the air, and everyone cringes in pain as yellow magic crackles into existence. In unison, several clusters of Gaster blasters fire. My and Chara’s souls and guts wrench as blue magic yanks on them. Our hearts race and breathing hitches as—

That isn’t my racing heart.

Those aren’t Chara’s shallow breaths.

No.

We’re feeling what Sans is feeling, never mind the obvious physiological differences. We can’t help it. His desperation and his energy are leaking out into the environment, and into our fields of knowing. If he is truly the strongest monster in the Underground, then his emotions are comprised of the strongest magic as well.

Therefore, it is only natural that we feel as he feels.

The banging of metal, and more agonized screams.

K[STOP!]K

D[YOU’RE HURTING US!]D

A[You can’t be reckless now. PULL YOURSELF TOGETHER!]A

S[Flowey’s—]S

Simon’s voice becomes muffled. If he had a mouth, Flowey would have clamped a leaf—some vines—over it. “Don’t ruin the surprise. Even with all that power, you’re STILL the same indecisive, hypocritical smily trashbag as before.”

Flowey seems to pause, preparing for a well-crafted speech.

At least, until Chara and I are dragged by our collars several feet, kicking our legs in confusion. We yell, and I assume that Flowey is casting magic on us, but this is not the case. Flowey is also yelling in surprise. His leaves and stems creak as they bend away from us. “Hey what gives!? Who—!?”

We stop after a few seconds as someone’s familiar arms wrap around us.

“I apologize for startling you, my children.”

“[{TORIEL!}]”

“I am as surprised as you are. I did not anticipate becoming cemented in purple magic so soon. Let alone that I would be able to control it precisely enough to summon you to my side without causing any colatteral damage.”

[{“Eh nice!”}]

“This is especially surprising considering how… tense and afraid I feel. And I fully acknowledge that this does not describe my current psychophysiological state adequately. It is just…

“I know that both of you feel the same. And not just because of your souls’ being restructured to bare more similarities to ours than to your fellow humans.”

[{“Mm-hmm”}]

“If I am truly to be cemented in my third color of magic now, I am comforted to know that my desire to protect you triggered it.”

We don’t have to agree in words. The relaxing sensation of green magic, the warmth of orange magic, and now, the firm hold of purple magic, all being cast on our bodies and souls through her touch, is answer enough for us.

After a moment, in a much shakier voice, one that makes my heart and soul ache with a pain usually reserved for monsters, Toriel begins to speak.

**The first time, listen to the first 20 seconds before reading. Then, loop normally until the next note.**

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EmUeqMnWmDY

“Flowey.

“I… I remember you.

“I remember you clear as day.

“You visited me, in the Ruins… only Tesla knows how many times?”

{That’s true—}

“I… I took you in as my own, and you were always so eager to learn from me. You nearly hurt yourself scouring my home for books you had yet to read.

“We would converse for hours. And I thought that you were so…

“INSIGHTFUL.”

{Didn’t she call us that back at her place?}

[Something like that yeah.]

“I even wondered WHY you bothered, because you seemed to know more about…”

A strained laugh. “Every subject that interested me.

“Now, I know why.

“You inquired into the books I owned because you desperately wanted to find material you had yet to read.

“And what I taught you: of Dreemurrite and human history, and translational philosophy, and cooking: you retained that knowledge from your previous…

“RESETS.

“And you continued visiting me because you desired to exhaust every possibility. To observe every difference: big or small.

“To… satisfy your curiosity.”

{Holy shit she’s right…{

Flowey wastes no time: “So that means you remember killing me. And me killing you. It must be eating you up inside—“

Kari, from somewhere behind Flowey: K[Hey lay off! She—]K

A rough, shrill scream of pain that makes everyone squirm. {What the fuck’s he doing!?}

As Kari stops screaming, Gaster blasters punctuate every word of a command: *”UNHAND HER!”*

Flowey growls: “Don’t even bother.

“You see those harnesses?”

He pauses. [They’re behind Flowey. There’s one for each of the Second Six Souls.]

“They’re constantly checking my stats. As long as my HP is above 0, they’ll stay locked. If you tamper with them, they’ll shut off their ether supplies and kill them.”

My entire being seems to shudder as Judge Sans prepares to reply, but Flowey somehow cuts him off: “And don’t tell me that I don’t know what I’m talking about.

“You taught me about ethermetry and magitry only Tesla knows how many times?

“Unless you’ve forgotten about that too.

“Technically, I was the first being to undergo Gaster’s Dreemurrite holistic integration.

“Not Pauline.

“Not Chara.

“ME.”

S[KICK HIS ASS!]S

I can’t necessarily disagree with Simon.

The floor underneath us shakes again, and Toriel grips Chara and I tighter. After taking a short breath, Chara says, [“The thought of proving Flowey wrong—“]

“Even if you DO free them, think about your Level of Violence! How much pain I’ve caused you! Or, at least, how much pain you THINK I’ve caused you.

“How many Execution Points do you think you’d get if you killed me!?

“Who KNOWS how much control over yourself you’d have left? You’re already close to losing it! I know you feel it.”

“[{What is he—}]”

“Go on.

“Take a look at him Chara.”

They oblige.

It only takes a second for Chara’s trembling hand to go still in mine.

Flatly: [“Look.”]

Judge Sans Wingdings Gaster  
Level of Violence: ?/?  
Execution Points to next Level of Violence: ?  
HP: 6498/6498  
Attack: 244/244  
Defense: 55/184  
Now, I shall strip you of your will to live.

“{That wasn’t there before…}”

Flowey, softly: “Pauline?

“You wanna know WHY that’s there?

“It’s because of Chara. And all the timelines where their thoughts about role-playing game stats affected the Underground. Or timelines where EXP and LV already existed.

“I know this ‘cause the smiley trashbag’s told me everything! He’s poured his heart and soul out to me more times than even HE can count.

“So I knew what’d happen as soon as he summoned you here, Chara.”

Deviously: “Viewing the contents of your soul? Becoming determined? Remembering all my resets?

“It changed him.

“So it changed EVERYTHING.”

He’s right.

No wonder he knows about exploiting the First Seven Souls’ conceptions of magic, and was able to capture the Six Souls so easily: all he had to do was watch the livestream.

“All those times you convinced Frisk to kill someone?

“And they saw how strong they got?

“And they stopped questioning you?

“That did it for him.

“Execution Points and Levels of Violence are quantifiable now, Chara. It doesn’t matter that we don’t know what the cap is. All that matters is that there IS one.

“It won’t be long before he makes the hard cap on Level of Violence real.

“Not even HE can stop it. ‘Cause he’s filling in a gap in how EVERYONE thinks of magic: not just the First Seven Souls.

“And he wants to find proof of how much I’ve hurt him.

“So THAT desire, shaped by his experiences, powered by his determination, will fill in that gap.

“And we won’t even know when it’s done until we check his stats and see the hard cap.”

The magic crackling around us vanishes.

“We ALL know what reaching the absolute does to a human.

“And you’ve told me about seeing timelines where you gained Levels of Violence. And how you didn’t wanna end up like that.

“But in THOSE timelines, you weren’t determined! Not like this.

“So who KNOWS what’ll happen to you now!?”

Hissing between his teeth: *”Free them.”*

“Make me.”

Blue magic surging into existence. The crumpling of leaves, the creaking of metal, the cracking of marble, and the same command: *”Free them.”*

Unsteady breathing that I don’t recognize, and nervous… laughter…? [That’s Flowey—]

{Noooo—}

[Trust me on this.]

“Yeah. About that—“

Reflexively, we cover our ears as yellow magic crashes down on us: *”TELL ME!”*

“I can’t!”

We stop dead.

“I don’t know the solutions.

“I know how the collars were made, but not the solutions. I just plugged in the formula—“

*”HOW DARE YOU—!“*

“I’m serious! You’d see if I was lying wouldn’t you?”

My stomach drops… that, and Sans’s stats. {He nodded didn’t he?}

Chara doesn’t answer.

“If you really wanna free them that much, just kill me! Ends justify the means, right?”

*”YOU DARE TO IMPLY—?”*

“And don’t even THINK about loading your save file. ‘Cause it won’t change anything!”

A magic-less silence.

“You know why?

“It’s because you’ve negated the whole reason why being determined gives you unlimited power!”

[{“What?”}]

If he hadn’t been doing it already, Flowey relishes in our confusion. “Even if you DO load your save file, I’ll remember!

“Pauline and Chara will remember!

“Everyone watching the livestream will remember!”

Everyone gasps. He’s right.

“You know why?”

“{[Oh no…]}”

“It’s because you told everyone how determination works! You even restricted your save file to Pauline and Chara! So everything and everyone around them stayed the same, even while you killed them.

“And even if you reset, we’ll still remember!

“Because you and your friends told everyone about how determination allows beings to do the impossible!”

*”6[{[The Great Disclosure Riots!}]]6”*

“EXACTLY!

In a too-young voice: D[So… we’re gonna die?]D

T[For real this time?]T

Bluntly: “Oh yes you will.

“But here’s the thing: even though the smily trashbag and Chara both know what’s gonna happen, neither of them—!“

Orange magic rises in front of us. “Chara.

“Pauline.”

[{“Asgore?”}]

“Arm yourselves.”

[“{… Okay…?}”]

“And… and Toriel?

“We must stand with them.

“I know that we have not seen eye to eye for the longest time, but… we both know that they all need us: the Second Six Souls, Pauline, Chara, and Judge Sans.”

]She nodded--]

{Yeah I know—}

“I have defended my children for a long time. This is—“

The purple magic holding Chara and I close to Toriel suddenly vanishes, my body and soul completely submerged in blue magic. I gasp as my feet leave the floor, and Chara’s hand rips out of my grasp. Before I can react, I shudder as the clang of metal rings through the air, the shock traveling up my legs. My right hand curls into a fist of its own accord, and simultaneously, my left hand closes around another familiar object.

Judge Sans teleported me inside Mjolnir and armed me.

I quickly touch the panel controlling the Dimensional Box: he gave me the last item in my inventory too.

As I withdraw my hand, I hear Chara’s light footsteps and the clinking of a chain: they’re wearing their locket again. [“What do you wanna do then?”]

Toriel, both quickly and precisely: “If Execution Points are truly in proportion to the harm caused, and Flowey’s resets have harmed everyone in the Underground, I suspect that no matter what the maximum Level of Violence is, Judge Sans would attain it if he killed him.”

[“So You wanna split them up.”]

Asgore squeezes Chara’s—

No.

He squeezes MY shoulder firmly. “Yes: each participant shall gain an amount of Execution Points equal to the harm they believe Flowey has done to them, which is deducted from the final total. In this way, Judge Sans shall not bear the burden alone.”

A gasp: *”Asgore you—“*

Toriel, decisively: “None of us take this lightly, Your Honor.

“It is just… you have suffered long enough.

“After all: it is not mandated anywhere that ONLY the Judge must provide for the common defense.

“Only that they must.”

I don’t need Chara to tell me that Judge Sans nodded in response.

As I face Flowey, Chara seizes control of my body, roughly taking my controller and the Monado from me. Simultaneously, they tighten my grip around two new objects, one in each hand.

I recognize the contours of the objects immediately: I’m holding two knives made of determination, identical to the one we used to threaten Jerry.

That’s how they’re going to fight.

As I hear the scraping of metal close by, Chara ceases their control: Asgore must have picked his trident off the floor.

E[We’ll back you up!]E

Toriel calls out to him: “Nonsense. It would be more than unfair to ask that of you. None of you are psychophysiologically stable.

“I… I am hardly stable myself.

“But still: I have one request.

“By Tesla: do not stand in the crossfire.”

A buzzing fills the air… and Chara’s body and soul tense beside me.

Friendliness pellets.

Footsteps rush over to us, and a bony arm settles across my shoulders. “I’ll help as well, Judge Sans!”

“[{PAPYRUS!}]”

“Gneh heh heh! This would not be the first time I have provided Judge Sans with soulological aid. Do not worry! I, Papyrus Wingdings Gaster, promise that I’ll devote all my strength to protecting you!”

Much more soberly: “I know HE would, if he could.

“But I also know he wants to get all his pent-up feelings out. Hell—that might explain why you hurt Jerry.

“’Because you had a chance to prove how strong you were, and damn the consequences.”

We don’t answer.

“I support Judge Sans’s decision. He should not have to split his attention. You can handle yourselves.

“And now, you have me and my impractical RPG sword!”

[“But Paps that’s the Buster sword from home—!“]

{“Nooo waaaay!”}

[“—I don’t’ think you’re—!”]

“And that’s where you’re wrong Chara! As of today, this Buster Sword has officially seen combat! I am honored to—“

Voices erupt around us. Wings beat. Monsters slither against the marble floor. Footsteps of all kinds approach us from all sides. “We’ll help you Asgore!”

“I remember now. I remember everything!”

“That fucking flower!”

“He was my friend!”

“What did we ever do to him?”

“I’ll be the support character who sits in back like a coward!”

Everyone readies an attack, a blast of green healing magic, or handfuls of healing or stat-boosting items. [“You don’t have to hold back this time.”]

Before Chara can finish, Papyrus shouts, “THIS SIMPLE FACT… IT FILLS YOU WITH DETERMINATION!”

Every object, every surface, the very air itself, vibrates as power runs through them, on the brink of being released. In unison, every last monster and human in the Judgment Hall says “*6[[{File saved.

“*6[[{HP fully restored.}]]6*”

*Stop the music.**

Over the buzzing of the friendliness pellets: “About your whole plan?

“I’ll admit: it’s clever! REALLY clever!

“But not clever enough!”

“Because,” Flowey seems… eager again… “if you REAAAAAALLY wanted to protect everyone from me, you reaaaaaally should’ve destroyed your cameras first!”

A moment when everything seems to stand still.

[The livestream.

[Remember?

[Everyone in the Underground’s watching it right now.]

I can’t put two and two together.

Chara, more panicked this time: [Flowey can see the rest of the Underground—well the public areas anyway— ‘cause there are video screens on the walls.]

Chara’s words slowly dawn on me: {So he can see where everyone is. And there’s the camera on Mjolnir still.}

[He would’ve had all the time in the world to figure out where everyone was. While we were in the basement. So yeah: he can basically see everyone now. Judge Sans must’ve ordered Mettaton to put them up before the first time he left so he could check on everything. And he must’ve left someone here to do that for him, when he DID leave.]

{But how’s this bad?}

Chara, screaming as the floor begins to shake, and a whining sound, and the harsh hiss of static, grow louder and louder, and higher and higher, around us. [“HE’S GONNA—!”]

Somehow, Flowey’s cackle is still discernable over the noise.

“HE HE HE HE HE!

“Oh yes Chara!

“You’ve forgotten about the Dual Awareness Principle so soon?

“You can’t do ANYTHING to stop me!

“AAAAALL OOOOOOOOOF YOOOOOUUUUUR SOOOOOOUUUUULS AAAAAAARE MIIIIIIINE!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the URL for Engage the Enemy again!
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_wdc_cDaUNQ
> 
> Here's the URL for Melancholia again.
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EmUeqMnWmDY
> 
> Suffice to say, getting the pacing right for this chapter was a bitch. That, and deciding on what songs to use as background music. At some point, the order of the two songs was reversed. I even considered not using any music for the first half. Eventually, I settled on this order because Engage the Enemy seemed to fit with the first appearance of Flowey since the first chapter. That, and his dialogue felt like a Xenoblade cutscene...
> 
> As for Melancholia? The sharpness of the instrumental fit with the situation, especially towards the end. Normally, in Undertale fanfics, people emphasize how violence isn't necessary at all, how every use of violence is unjustified, and how when Frisk does hurt someone, they do so under Chara's influence, or in an act of passion. However, in this case, I wanted to create a scenario where violence was necessary, and where everyone involved full well knew the risks of using it. The lyrics, though... repetitive and delivered poorly more often than I'd like, fit with Sans's situation nicely. Either he becomes a version of himself he hates (Dusttale Sans, which is one of my favorite versions of him), or Flowey regains control of the timeline and kills his friends. The one time he has the chance to do something about Floewy, he has to make an impossible choice...
> 
> Speaking of that choice, the harnesses Flowey uses to capture the Second Six Souls are based on a mechanism in Saw III. A brain surgeon has a collar around her neck with shotgun shells attached to it, connected to her patient's heartrate monitor. If he flatlines, she moves too far away, or tries tampering with the collar, it will detonate. I was even thinking of making a direct reference to Saw III in Flowey's dialogue, because he would've known about Sans's thoughts on the franchise after talking to him during his pacifistic resets, but I decided against it.
> 
> As for Asgore's solution to the Levels of Violence problem? It's basically classic RPG logic: everyone who contributes to the fight is rewarded. Regarding what Toriel says, it's an in-story version of the realization I made about the Execution Points scaling in Undertale, during the No Mercy route. The player gains Execution Points in proportion to how much harm the monster they killed did to them. The monsters in the Ruins yield so few Execution Points because they do little damage to the player, whereas Sans causes the player to reach the 20th Level of Violence because he killed them... only Tesla knows how many times?
> 
> As for how Flowey describes me?
> 
> I drew on all the times people have told me all the things I had to change about myself. I'll admit it: if I had been able to play Undertale, my first time, I would've killed plenty of monsters. At the very least, the main bosses would've been killed. I even would've killed Papyrus, because the first time I watched Marriland play, I wasn't convinced that Papyrus was one of those mostly-harmless villain types until his date, and even then, I was wary of him. Mettaton was self-centered, and Muffet is basically a robber barren. I would've killed Flowey, and I wouldn't have considered it such a huge moral dilemma.
> 
> On a much lighter note, the next chapters... won't be nearly as planned out as the rest of the story, since I've been holding off on thinking about them for the longest time. On the other hand, they'll be fun to write (and not in a painful way, like the Sans fight).
> 
> Chara and I shudder.
> 
> Also, it would've been awesome if the next chapter had been the 50th chapter, because more milestones. However, I realized recently that it's good that the next chapter will be the 49th one, because there are 49 days in a Judiciary month. It's auspicious for my AU, which is even more flavorful.
> 
> I know it'll take a while to perfect that chapter but...
> 
> When it does come out, you'll see why I wanted to write a story where he came back for good.
> 
> We're ready for you...
> 
> AAAASRIIIIIEEEEEEL DREEEEEEEMUUUUUUURR!!!


End file.
